It’s possible to boost the brain function of female pre-term babies by increasing the amount of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in either formula or breast milk, say Australian researchers. They found that pre-term baby girls fed a diet high in DHA improved scores on a mental development test by five points. The intervention also led to an 80% reduction in the number of pre-term baby girls with significant mental delays. But the intervention didn’t give the same benefits to baby boys. Previous research found that giving low levels of DHA to preemies could improve visual acuity.
Source: HealthDay News, Jan 13, 2009
