NAD OKs i-Health Advertising Claims

NEW YORKThe National Advertising Division has determined that i-Health Inc. can support certain advertising claims for the BrainStrong DHA supplements for young children, including the claim that the product "supports brain development and function."

NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industrys system of self-regulation and administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. As part of its ongoing monitoring program, NAD requested substantiation from i-Health for claims that included:

NAD also considered the implied claim that [a] childs brain will not develop and function well without DHA supplementation."

In support of its claims, the advertiser provided NAD with a number of studies on docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, including a randomized, single blind controlled study in which children 7 to 9 years of age were given either a placebo or a fish-based bread spread containing DHA for six months.

NAD determined the studies, in conjunction with the significant body of research demonstrating DHA is critical for brain development in utero and during infancy, provided a reasonable basis for the claim that BrainStrong [s]upports brain development and function" in young children.

NAD further determined that the advertiser supported the remaining claims at issue. Finally, NAD determined the advertising at issue did not convey the implied message that [a] childs brain will not develop and function well without DHA supplementation."

DHA supplementation has also been shown to improve visual acuity in older adults according to a study published in 2011.