Literature Review

Health effects of Sialic Acid on Infants

Literature Review

Sialic acid is an essential nutrient that is highly required in development of brain structure. According to various studies the infants of animals have higher level sialic acid that helps in increasing gangliosides in the brain that enhances the learning capability; this is the reason that the infants of animals are quick learner (Carlson & Stephen, 1986). Milk has abundance of oligosaccharide-bound with sialic acid. For several researches and test it was diagnosed that the infant milk formula contains relatively much lower level of sialic acid as compared to the mother's milk (Topcuoglu et.al, 2010).

A 9-carbon sugar molecule that holds strong negative charge and it occurs in huge quantity as an essential component of human milk oligosaccharide is commonly known as Sialic acid. This acid is also an important terminal functional residue of brain glycoproteins and ganglioside like NCAM. The formula-fed infants have lower level of glycoprotein bound sialic acid and ganglioside bound than the infants who are breastfed by their mothers (McJarrow et.al, 2009). Infant formulas have lower level of sialic acid i.e. (0-0.2 g/L) as compared to human milk i.e. (0.7 g/L). The learning performance of the infants improves with the increased sialic acid in milk; therefore most of the health practitioners recommend that the infants should be breastfed in an entire infancy period for proper growth of brain (McJarrow et.al, 2009).

There are certain dietary supplements that play an important role in the development and functionality of human body and organs. Sialic Acid is also known as SIA. The research on sialic acid help in developing the understanding about what Sialic acid is and its effects on the development of the human body (McJarrow et.al, 2009). This research will also lay emphasis on the significant role in clinical diagnosis of different diseases. Sialic Acid a member of 9 carbon family has many an advantages especially in the prevention of many mental diseases. In infants, its role is of utmost importance as it helps in the development of the nervous system. Its deficiency or excessiveness can have adverse effects on the mental growth of the infant brain (Yang et.al, 2009). Sialic acid is present in abundant quality in milk that helps the infants in gangliosides accumulation that is beneficial for the growth of brain structure (Topcuoglu et.al, 2010). Ganglioside is an effective component of sialic acid that helps in developing the nerve cell communication in the brain. NANA storage disease, sialuria, free sialic acid storage disease, Finnish type and N-acetylneuraminic acid storage disease are some of the most commonly observed diseases caused due to sialic acid imbalance in infants (McJarrow et.al, 2009).

The infants, who are on breastfeed, have higher level of IQ level as compared to those who are kept on formula-based milk; this has been proven by the scientists in the laboratories and research labs through experiments. It is evident from animal model that sialic acid plays an important role in the development of brain and learning ...