The Mother and Child Foundation

Lord Hameed held a Seminar at the House of Lords on 14th June to raise awareness about cerebral palsy and allied disorders of brain development. Lord Hameed is the President of the Little Foundation, a sister charity that is specifically concerned with research on the cause and prevention of cerebral palsy and the allied disorders.

He spoke eloquently of the lack of interest on prevention by the research councils and NHS research arm which Sir David Cooksey described in his report to the Treasury that only 2% of the total research budget was spent on research into prevention. The reason for his report was to recommend ways of stemming the rising costs of the NHS.

The Little Foundation initiated a multi-centre study across the Europe using magnetic resonance imaging to assess the origin of the brain damage. The result demonstrated that in the majority of cases the lesions could be identified as happening well before the birth date. That means they were not due to obstetric mishap. As Professor Polani’s research could not identify any genetic cause, the cause had to be associated with fetal nutritional and or infectious problems.

If this government wishes to save money prevention is the way to do it. Cerebral palsy costs the UK about £4 billion a year: a cost that is disproportionately high because of its life long impact. The incidence has not changed over the last several decades but there has been a marked and sinister rise in mental ill health. The DoH calculated the cost of mental
ill health in the UK was £77 billion in 2007, greater than the cost of heart disease and cancer combined.

Lord Hameed was followed by Professor Mark Johnson and Dr Enitan Ogundipe of Imperial College who outlined the problems associated with low birthweight and prematurity. Professor Johnson described the very high prevalence of
cerebral palsy on preterm and very low birthweight infants as a major clue as to discovering the cause which could lead to prevention. He referred to poor maternal/fetal nutrition leading to chronic diseases in later life. He identified the brain specific fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid a deficiency of which in the modern food system was as a potential culprit. It is both required for brain structure and function and is also anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombus. Dr. Ogundipe then discussed the issue as they affect the development of the children which apart from the extreme of 24 hour nursing care include physical disabilities, behavioral disorders, attention deficit disorders, poor learning in school which leads to poor achievement in life. Lord Hameed had pointed out that this cluster of poor abilities leads to the cyclical cementing of poverty. Cerebral palsy is the tip of an iceberg. Professor Michael Crawford ended by re-iterating the gravity of the rise in brain disorders and mental ill health and suggested that last century food policy had mistakenly focused on protein and calories and body growth. However, there are different principles for the growth of the brain and the body as the material of the brain is largely fat which is especially rich in brain specific essential fatty acids. Our species is characterized by the brain not the body. There needs to be a new paradigm for food policy which prioritizes the needs of the brain. He suggested ways this could be done.

The presentations were followed by an hour long discussion of the issues raised and what needs to be done. Further information from Professor Crawford.