Gualala Arts Lecture Series presents:
Dietary Fats and the Brain

with David Kyle
Monday, June 7, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Admission is $5

The story that David Kyle will relate in his June 7 talk at 7:00 p.m., entitled "Dietary Fats and the Brain," may sound like a tale from Star Trek science-fiction, but it is actually an even more fantastic story that began in a NASA laboratory, spawned a successful biotech company and now offers a healthier life for more than 33 million babies worldwide.

In the early 1980s NASA was experimenting with the use of micro-algae as a renewable source of food and oxygen on long duration interplanetary missions. After the completion of that program, a group of scientists formed what later became Martek Biosciences, a leader in micro-algae research and development.

Dr. Kyle discovered an algae which produces high levels of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. DHA is a building block of the brain and is naturally delivered from a mother to her baby through her breast milk. However, none of the available infant formulae in the 1990s contained this important ingredient.

So Martek developed a DHA-oil supplement that is now universally added to infant formulae worldwide. Dr. Kyle's story relates not only the development of this process, but also the battles with the infant formula companies to provide a better product that is critically important for optimal brain development, particularly in low birth weight and premature infants.

Many know omega-3 fatty acid is beneficial to the heart, but it is also critical for infant development, for healthy brains, for both eye development and function, and for proper development of the nervous system. It even has potential to lower risk of diseases including Alzheimer's.

David Kyle, who was inducted in early 2009 into The Space Technology Hall of Fame for his work in this area, is well suited to explain how this story unfolded, the science behind DHA, and what future potential it holds for everyone from infants to mothers to seniors.

There is no advanced ticket sale for the presentation, but a $5 admission fee will be collected at the door.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.