Feeding the Future Generation - York, October 2010

Delegates from around Europe gathered in York on 6th October 2010 for an event that showcased the research of NUTRIMENTHE. The event, sponsored by Unilever, a partner in the project, was organised by one of the UK partners, Beta Technology.

NUTRIMENTHE’s five-year research programme, which began in March 2008, has brought together paediatricians, health professionals and nutritionists in an ambitious project to assess the link between the food pregnant mothers, babies and children eat, to health and mental performance in later life. “It is too early for any definitive results at this stage,” said Beta Technology Director Jayne Evans. “But is clear from the research so far that food intake, especially by mothers during pregnancy, is important to foetal brain development.”

In her welcome address, Professor Cristina Campoy, of the University of Granada, who is leading the project, said: “Our goal is to examine the effects of diet on the mental performance of children. Included in this is a study on the effects of multivitamins and supplements on children which will produce new data on childhood development. The programme also includes research into consumer understanding of the relationship between diet and mental performance and economic implications of the project. Once we understand how best to improve the diet of children we can also understand how to improve their IQ.”

Key results presented at the Open Forum included:

Biological aspects

Folic acid supplementation during the first three months of pregnancy is associated with less behavioural problems in children aged 18-months.
Folates influence brain growth and development directly.
There is observational evidence that fish eating in pregnancy and breast feeding are beneficial to child development - this may be due to their fatty acid content, in particular the Omega 3 fatty acid Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The child’s diet may also be important.
Genetic variants modify these effects; however other studies are needed to confirm this.
Breast feeding is particularly important to infants with some genotypes.
Supplementation with DHA during pregnancy relates to higher DHA levels in maternal and umbilical plasma and red blood cell phospholipids.
Higher maternal and foetal DHA status during pregnancy relates to better performance in neuropsychomotor tests at 5 ½ and cognitive examination at 6 ½ years of age.
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) status prior to the 20th week of pregnancy may be relevant for children’s neurological development.

Consumer perceptions

Consumers (parents and teachers) taking part in a study in four countries (UK, Germany, Hungary and Spain) had a concept of a healthy diet, which involved balance, variety and moderation.
Parents discussed the effects of diet on mental performance principally in terms of effects on Attention and Concentration.
All teachers reported an awareness of the effect of diet on children’s performance in school.

Economic aspects

Improving mental function has a huge economic potential and relatively small improvements in cognitive skills can have very large impacts on a nation’s future well-being.

Poster abstracts from the event

Presentations from the event

Welcome address and introduction to the NUTRIMENTHE Project

Prof Cristina Campoy

Maternal folic acid supplement use in early pregnancy and child behavioural problems

Dr Sabine Roza

Genetic variation of the FADS1 and FADS2 gene cluster as related to fatty acid metabolism

Dr Pauline Emmett

Long-term effects of prenatal nutrition on brain development

Prof Cristina Campoy

Effect of protein intake during infancy on long-term mental performance

Dr Darek Gruzfeld