Indegene Life Systems Pvt. Ltd., a Bangalore based knowledge-intensive service provider for integrated scientific promotions, medical education and business analytics solutions for pharmaceutical, medical devices, biotechnology and healthcare organisations, has commenced a project to spread media awareness on the need of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as a nutritional supplement for pre-school kids.

The company is conducting an awareness campaign with the help of experts from various medical and research institutions. The awareness campaign will be launched at Delhi on February 7 and in Kolkata on February 9. The company is also planning to extend the media campaign to 40 cities throughout the country in the following months, according to sources.

"The campaign will be conducted aiming at medical practitioners and other workers in the medical field, to bring out more awareness on the need of prescribing DHA to pre-school children," Dr. M.B. Raghu, director, academic advancement, Sree Ramachandra Medical College (SRMC), Chennai told Pharmabiz.

DHA, an essential Omega 3 fatty acid, that constitutes almost one half of the total fat in the outer walls of brain cells, has a crucial influence on brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), helping brain cells better communicate with each other, he said in the press conference.

Raghu said that though the DHA can be carried to the child through mother's milk in early stages, the supplement should be included in the child's daily food during the pre-school period, as the breast-feeding process may be stopped by the time. Fish and fish lever oils should be added in the daily food, in this stage, suggested the expert.

The brain size of a baby at birth is almost 70% of the adult size of the brain hence the body weight is only 5% of an adult. The remaining 10% of brain growth occurs during pre-school years, wherein special attention needs to be paid to complementary feeds and optimal intake of micronutrients comprising vitamins and trace minerals.

The brain building nutrition is not only important in developing childhood development, but also is a good remedy for high blood pressure for adults and found to moderate in depression, epilepsy, psoriasis and coronary heart disorder etc. DHA during pre-school years may also have a beneficial role in the prevention of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and enhancing learning capability and academic performance, added Raghu.