Why Sphingolipids are Important to

Your Growing Child

 

Sphingolipids was discovered in the late 1870s by Johann L.W. Thudichum, a German physician and biochemist, who was a pioneer in the field of neurochemistry and a founder of “brain chemistry”.

 

While studying the chemical composition of the brain, he discovered a component that presented many enigmas. This mysterious compound he named sphingosine, after the mythological riddle of the Egyptian Sphinx.

 

Sphingolipids—a type of nutritional lipid (fats)—were long thought to function only as the building blocks for cells. New research show that Sphingolipids are broken down and reassembled into many types of nutrients that play important roles throughout the human body.

 

Based on clinical research, some of the functions attributed to Sphingolipids include contributing significantly towards enhancing brain development, protecting neural nerves, enhancing the immune system by protecting against bacterial toxins and infections, and promoting gastrointestinal health and maturation.

 

While Sphingolipids are present in most types of food, the highest concentrations are found in milk, and to a lesser extent, eggs, soybeans and meat. Because they are not ready for solid food, infants rely entirely on breast-feeding for the Sphingolipids necessary to their growth and development.