NZMP SureStart to take part in gut and brain research project

NZMP SureStart – Fonterra’s paediatric ingredients arm – will participate in a five-year study which will investigate the relationship between the gut and the brain, and determine how food can influence brain functions.

The “Smarter Lives: New opportunities for dairy products across the lifespan” project is led by New Zealand-based research institute AgResearch and supported by the Riddet Institute, The University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research, and Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will also provide NZD 12 million ($8.4 million) to support the project, while international researchers at Flinders University, Illinois University and University College Cork will also be involved with the project.

NZMP SureStart aims to determine how signals sent from the gut to the brain can be affected by a person’s diet, and in particular how infant formulas affect cognitive development in young children.

The company claims it will use the findings to attempt to develop future products which can optimise cognitive development in formula-fed children.

Fonterra’s programme manager Nutrition and Health, James Dekker, says, “The gut is sometimes referred to as ‘the second brain’, and the Smarter Lives research programme will help to explore what is meant by this.

“There has been a significant amount of research into the role of dairy ingredients in cognition and gut health. However, more work is needed to understand the gut-brain axis and what this means for paediatric nutrition.

“For example, we know ingredients like NZMP SureStart Lipid 100 may offer both digestive health and cognition benefits, but we don’t fully understand how these two functions correlate.

“We know the first years of a child’s life are a sensitive period during which the child’s brain is most receptive to the effects of nutrition and its environment. Both are vital for the optimal development of the brain.

“The Smarter Lives research programme will build on existing research and unlock how we can influence the two-way communication between the gut and the brain to help to optimise cognitive development in formula-fed infants.”