COLUMBIA, Md., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation announced today that Mead Johnson Nutritionals has launched a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplement for pregnant and nursing women containing Martek DHA(TM). The product, Expecta(TM) LIPIL(R) DHA supplement, is a non-prescription prenatal supplement that provides 200mg of Martek DHA(TM) for pregnant and nursing women. The typical American diet is lower in DHA relative to many other countries and, consequently, U.S. women have among the lowest breast milk DHA levels in the world. The introduction of Expecta(TM) LIPIL(R) DHA supplement extends Mead Johnson’s use of Martek DHA(TM) beyond infant formula and responds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that both mothers and their babies benefit from an adequate maternal intake of DHA.
DHA supports both fetal and infant brain and eye development. Clinical studies have demonstrated that women who supplement their diets with DHA during pregnancy and nursing elevate their blood and breast milk DHA levels. One study reported a 4 IQ point advantage at 4 years of age for children of mothers who included a supplement containing DHA in their diet during pregnancy and nursing versus those children whose mothers received placebo. Another study reported that psychomotor development of children was improved at 30 months of age in those whose mothers supplemented with DHA during the first 4 months of breast-feeding. A follow up to this study found that at five years of age, these same children whose mothers had taken DHA had significantly higher scores on a test of sustained attention.
“Martek DHA(TM) will now be widely available to moms, their fetuses and their babies with the Expecta(TM) LIPIL(R) launch,” said Henry “Pete” Linsert, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Martek Biosciences Corporation. “I believe that optimizing DHA levels for mom and her baby during this critical time should result in significant benefits to their future health and well-being.”
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: Angela Tsetsis, Director of Business Development of Martek Biosciences Corporation, +1-410-740-0081
Martek Biosciences Corporation
CONTACT: Angela Tsetsis, Director of Business Development of MartekBiosciences Corporation, +1-410-740-0081
Web site: http://www.martekbio.com/
