Every parent wants what is best for their children, and nothing is more important than a healthy brain. Unfortunately, some companies play on parents’ concern for their children by offering products claiming to offer various health benefits when there is little or no proof that they work.
Minute Maid might be one such company. It offers a product called “Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice” which contains 50mg of Omega 3/DHA per 8 fl. oz that allegedly “Supports Brain and Body.” That claim may be deceptive. In particular, the amount of DHA in the Minute Maid Enhanced Pomegrante Blueberry Juice may be insufficient to deliver the promised health benefit, particular because the body discards the DHA before it can be used by the brain. Moreover, few if any children suffer from DHA deficiency, which means there is no added benefit to taking the supplement. In fact, there is only one reported case of DHA deficiency in the last thirty or so years and it involved a girl on an intravenous diet. Even the Institute of Medicine—the health arm of the National Academies—has issued a report stating that it does not recognize a dietary requirement for DHA and that there is no DHA deficiency in the United States.
Additionally, clinical cause and effect studies have consistently found no causative link between DHA supplementation and brain health. For example, in Kirby, A., et al., 31(3) Research in Developmental Disabilities 718-30 (2010), the study authors examined the effects of fish oil DHA supplementation on 450 students (ages 8-10 years old) for 16 weeks. Id. at 720. The study authors found that despite the wide range of cognitive and behavior outcomes used, DHA supplementation resulted in no significant differences in cognitive results: “very few significant differences between the supplemented and placebo group on the learning and performance measures used.” Id. at 729.
If you or someone you know purchased Minute Maid’s “Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice” please contact us to discuss your legal options.