Newsletter

Palmitic acid is a common saturated fatty acids found in breast milk, and an important energy source for a rapidly growing infant.

Billions of neurons and connections in the developing brain drive how we think, feel, and act, enabling us to function and learn. These connections not only have to be fast but also efficient. An efficient brain uses its energy effectively to complete complex tasks via the relevant pathways, enabling the fastest flow of information throughout the entire brain. Fast and efficient brains learn better.1,2

Previous studies have shown both the differences in myelination between exclusively breastfed and exclusively formula-fed infants. This milestone publication also looks at how the varying nutritional composition of different formulas may impact not only myelination but also differences in cognitive outcomes. It discusses using state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques to examine longitudinal trajectories of myelination and measurements of cognition and assessing the role played by nutritional composition on these outcomes.