Foremost in a mother’s mind is the health and wellbeing of her child. Right from pregnancy, you would have eaten nutritious food and taken supplements while battling nausea, so the developing baby would get almost everything he needs.
Now, you read the right books, you buy the right toys, take him to the playground and even go to great lengths to prepare wholesome meals for your growing child. In fact, every step you take goes towards providing a bright future for your child.
The first 5 years of a child's life is the time when his growth is most rapidi, especially when it comes to brain development. This is when his brain is making the maximum neural connections and helping him make sense of his environment and the stimulus he receives from adults around him. His brain architecture is taking shape now and will lay the foundation for lifelong learning capabilities, emotional growth and behavior, as well as his health.
Children nutrition providers have always sought to improve this aspect of growth. Scientific advances and technological innovations have indeed made it possible to help obtain the nourishment for your child’s mental and physical development through a multitude of essential nutrients.
What is MFGM?
A recent breakthrough in pediatric nutrition is MFGM or milk fat globule membrane. This brain nutrient is naturally found in milk.
Here's what you need to know about MFGM.
MFGM – Multiple benefits for your child
MFGM is a component made up of several beneficial bioactive molecules, including complex polar lipids like Gangliosides, Phospholipids, Sphingolipidsii, which play an important role in brain development and building immunityiii.
Working with DHA
As your child grows, he learns a lot of new things. This is achieved by the development of synapses – connections between the brain cells in a specific order. Clinical studies have shown that MFGM together with DHA supports cognitive development as well as emotional and behavioral regulationii,iv.
A revolutionary breakthrough in pediatric nutrition
MFGM components are recognised as nutritional and bioactive milk constituents and are present only scarcely in bovine milk. Advances in processing technology have finally made it possible to add higher concentration of MFGM to children formulas.
As the brain continues to grow, older children may also benefit from this revolutionary component. A study found that children who consumed a chocolate milk enriched with MFGM demonstrated significantly improved parent-reported scores for behavioural regulation compared to children receiving the same formula without MFGM enrichmentiv. The study also support a positive action of MFGM-enriched milk on immunity in children which showed a significant reduction in the number of febrile episodes and days of feveriv.
Balanced development for a bright future
As MFGM has been shown to support behavioral regulationiv, this may contribute to your child’s emotional development. Supporting EQ along with IQ is music to a mother’s ears, knowing that thriving in today’s complex world involves key life skills as much as academic prowess; skills like communication, empathy, and collaboration.
But remember mums, at the end of the day, no product or nutrient is going to ensure a bright future for your child – it is still the parental interaction to raise him right and set him up for success. Providing the nutrition that he needs is an integral part of the equation, giving him the physical capability to meet milestones, explore, learn, and advance. Part of this learning is acquiring and applying important life skills to prepare him to be future-ready.
Alongside optimum nutrition as part of the requirements for your child’s intellectual and emotional development, it is essential that parents engage their child in activities that will boost his IQ and EQ.
Ask your doctor today to find out more about MFGM.