Association of complex lipids containing gangliosides with cognitive development of 6-month-old infants

BackgroundHuman breastmilk contains gangliosides which may play an important role in infant neurodevelopment.AimA pilot study was conducted to assess the impact of infant formula supplemented with gangliosides from complex milk lipid on cognitive functions of normal healthy infants.Study designThe study was a double-blind, randomized, controlled, parallel group clinical trial in which infants received the treatment or control product from 2 to 8 weeks of age until 24 weeks of age. The control group (n = 30) received standard infant formula and the treatment group (n = 29) received the same formula supplemented with complex milk lipid to increase the ganglioside content to approximately 11 to 12 μg/ml. A reference group (n = 32) consisted of normal healthy exclusively breast-fed infants.Outcome measuresCognitive development using the Griffith Scales and serum gangliosides was measured before (2–8 weeks of age) and after intervention (24 weeks of age).ResultsGanglioside supplementation using complex milk lipids significantly increased ganglioside serum levels (control group vs treatment group, P = 0.002) and resulted in increased scores for Hand and Eye coordination IQ (P < 0.006), Performance IQ (P < 0.001) and General IQ (P = 0.041). Cognitive development scores and serum ganglioside levels for the treatment group did not differ from the reference group.ConclusionsSupplementation of infant formula with complex milk lipid to enhance ganglioside content appears to have beneficial effects on cognitive development in healthy infants aged 0–6 months, which may be related to increased serum ganglioside levels.