Cork team lead project on early-life nutrition

CORK-based APC Microbiome Ireland (APC), a world-leading Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre, has collaborated with global leaders in nutritional products Health and Happiness Group and Arla Foods Ingredients on a research project focused on diet and early-life cognitive development.

The one-year project will investigate early life nutritional interventions of strategic importance to both companies.

Leading the project from APC’s Brain-Gut-Microbiota research programme are Dr Siobhain O’Mahony and Dr Harriet Schellekens, who will determine if certain dietary changes can reduce the effects of early life stress on brain development while also investigating potential impacts on learning and memory.

The joint research will focus on investigating the potential impacts of nutritional milk-based ingredients to alleviate stress-induced cognitive impairment in early life stages.

Dr Siobhain O’Mahony of APC said: “Targeting the microbiome to support brain health is an emerging concept in neuroscience. 

"This research aims to understand the role of specific milk-based ingredients in the infant microbiome and reducing the negative impact of stress on early-life cognitive development.”

The research will mainly be conducted at the APC laboratories in University College Cork and at Health and Happiness Research laboratories in the National Food Innovation Hub, Moorepark in Fermoy.

Head of Paediatric Nutrition Arla Foods Ingredients, Anne Staudt Kvistgaard, said: “This research underlines our continued commitment to investigate how dairy components can support brain and development processes during infancy, which is a critical period of rapid cognitive development. We look forward to working with Health and Happiness Group and APC on this project.”

Professor Paul Ross, director APC Microbiome Ireland, described the research as an “exciting and important” project for APC.

“[It is] the first time we brought together two commercial partners to work together with APC on a collaborative research project that will help advance our understanding of the potential benefits of early life nutritional interventions for brain development,” he said.