Data Presented at Pediatric Academic Societies' Meeting
COLUMBIA, Md., May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences
Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) announced today that a study presented at the
Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California,
showed that five-year-old children whose mothers received a 200mg dose of
Martek's docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for the first 4 months of breastfeeding
performed better on a test of sustained attention than those whose mothers
received a placebo. DHA is an essential fatty acid naturally present in
breast milk, and a key building block of the developing infant's brain and
visual system. American women's breast milk levels of DHA are among the
lowest in the world because of low DHA intake in the diet. Supplementation of
DHA during breastfeeding elevates these levels.
In the study, conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston, TX, 174 mothers received either dietary supplements of DHA or a
placebo. Their breastfed children were assessed for several visual and mental
functions at 4, 8, 12, 18, 30 and 60 months of age. The researchers report
that at 60 months, or 5 years of age, the children whose mothers received DHA
for the first 4 months of breastfeeding demonstrated an attention advantage,
using the Sustained Attention Subtest of the Leiter International Performance
Scale. The same researchers had earlier reported (April 2001) that the
children whose mothers received DHA supplementation demonstrated enhanced
psychomotor development at 30 months of age. The researchers did not notice
similar effects on psychomotor development at 5 years leading them to conclude
that the earlier results may reflect more sustained attention rather than
better motor function.
"These results are the most recent in a series of studies that demonstrate
the importance of DHA in the development of infants and children," commented
Henry Linsert, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Martek Biosciences Corporation.
"Martek supports breastfeeding as the preferred method of infant feeding and
encourages women to supply the best nutrition possible to their infants."
Martek Biosciences Corporation develops, manufactures and sells products
from microalgae. The Company's products include: (1) specialty, nutritional
oils for infant formula that aid in the development of the eyes and central
nervous system in newborns; (2) nutritional supplements and food ingredients
that may play a beneficial role in promoting mental and cardiovascular health
throughout life; and (3) new, powerful fluorescent markers for diagnostics,
rapid miniaturized screening, and gene and protein detection.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the
commercialization of Martek's products. Such statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause future actual results to differ due to a
variety of risk factors, including without limitation those factors set forth
in Martek's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Pete Buzy, Chief Financial Officer of Martek Biosciences
Corporation, +1-410-740-0081.
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SOURCE Martek Biosciences Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.martekbio.com
CONTACT:
Pete Buzy, Chief Financial Officer of Martek
Biosciences Corporation, +1-410-740-0081
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