Enhanced therapeutic foods improve cognition in malnourished children (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Enhanced therapeutic foods improve cognition in malnourished children

Caption

At a rural health center in southern Malawi, in sub-Saharan Africa, a mother feeds her child a packet of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) as part of a clinical trial to determine whether adding the omega-3 fatty acid DHA and certain oils to the nutrient-rich food improves the cognitive health of children with severe acute malnutrition. The clinical trial, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, showed that when DHA is added to the food, and linoleic acid — a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid — in the food is reduced, children’s overall cognition improves.

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Reginald Lee/Washington University

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