Fonterra unlocking the power of dairy

Stress is a common issue in modern life that can impact both physical and mental health. In New Zealand, one in eight adults reported experiencing high or very high level of psychological distress. 

Recent research by Fonterra has highlighted the potential benefits of milk phospholipids in improving psychological wellbeing and emotional resilience. 

Dr Maher Fuad, Fonterra’s health & nutrition science manager, says milk phospholipids have emerged as a possible intervention in reducing the negative impacts of high stress level on people’s mental wellbeing.   

“Milk fat globule membranes are a rich source of milk phospholipid and have been known to have the potential to improve brain health. Our research aims to determine if this ingredient is associated with improvements in physical and psychological wellbeing,” Fuad says. 

Milk fat globule membranes (MFGM), which can be used in maternal and pediatric nutrition, is a product in Fonterra’s Ingredient business. 

“Our last study highlighted a significant reduction in mean stress levels when participants consumed phospholipids as part of their diet, compared to those who had the placebo. In the most recent work, we looked deeper into participants’ individual experience of wellbeing,” Fuad says. 

The study involves seventy-three adults in New Zealand who took MFGM as part of their daily diet for 12 weeks. Afterwards, the research team conducted an interview, asking participants to describe their experience of each aspect of wellbeing and whether they had noticed changes. 

“The four themes that we see consistently appear in people’s responses are improved wellbeing; increased ability to cope with stress and improvements in mood; improvement in physical energy or activity and improved sleep quality.

“Among these, the frequency of people reporting improvements in their ability to cope with stress and sleep quality was significantly higher than those receiving the placebo,” Fuad shares.

Fuad says the group who receive the supplement specifically notice that they have better control over their mood and reaction to stressful situations. 

“Of those who commented on their mood, most participants saw an improvement. This was different from the placebo group, where most people reported no specific change.”

“Many participants also noted improvements in their sleep, saying they fall to sleep quicker and sleep sounder than normally,” Fuad adds. 

Fuad says this is an exciting space with a lot of opportunities in the future. 

“When you consider the implications and costs of mental health, it is exciting to be involved with something that offers a prevention rather than just looking for a cure.”

He also says while the study on complex lipids in milk and brain development is relatively new, the nutritional value of milk has been recognised for a long time. 

“Milk has been an important part of the human diet for around 8,000 years. 

When consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet, milk is packed with natural nutrients and benefits, such as calcium – vital for healthy bones and teeth, protein which helps build muscles and vitamin B12 for the central nervous system,” Fuad says.