For over 20 years, FMB has been the “lifework” of bio-medical researcher and author, Dr. Alexander Schauss. With nearly three decades of studying the effects of nutrition on brain function, Dr. Schauss began his quest to develop FMB in 1983 following a four-year study in the New York City Public School system, the largest school district in the United States, on the effects of diet on academic performance.

In 1978, the New York Times reported that despite teachers in New York City receiving the highest salaries of teachers in the United States, the student’s test scores were well below the national average at the 35th percentile. The Director of Food Services for the New York City Public Schools read Dr. Schauss’ 1978 book and consulted with Dr. Schauss on the importance of nutrition on academic performance of students. In 1979, New York City’s public school system, had over 1.2 million students attending its schools, from kindergarten to high school.  Dr. Schauss saw the poor academic performance of students in New York City as an opportunity to scientifically study the impact of improving the diet on academic performance.  Dr. Schauss and a team of nutritionists and food services personnel recommended the following changes in breakfast and lunch meals given to students:

1) Improve the nutritional density (increase the concentration of vitamins and minerals per calorie) of the diet;

2) Reduce the amount of sugar (sucrose, which had no vitamins and minerals) in foods;

3) Eliminate preservatives (so the food was fresh); and,

4) Eliminate synthetic food colors and flavors (as some could upset brain function).

Nearly 800,000 out of the 1.2 million students participated in the study for the next 4 years (from 1979 to 1983). Computers kept track of how every student was doing academically in 803 schools in New York City. This was the largest study of diet in the world. By 1983, after only 4 years, the New York City School’s academic test scores went from below the national average to well above the national average in all 803 schools at all grade levels. An independent research team of investigators at California State University reported that the New York City Schools experienced the largest gain in academic test performance in American educational history. Results were confirmed by 102 other school districts who adopted the diet changes with similar results. While the New York City study was in progress, Dr. Schauss wrote his second book in 1980, Diet, Crime and Delinquency. This book reprinted many times was discussed by researchers and faculty at many colleges and universities for over 10 years, because the idea that what people ate and its effect on brain function was just an emerging science. Around that time researchers around the world were beginning to recognize that the lack of specific nutrients in the diet could impair behavior, learning, or cognitive performance.

Following the New York City Diet-Academic Performance Study’s completion, Dr. Schauss’ next objective was to develop a “Feed My Brain” children’s chewable food supplement. Finding the key nutrients needed for the FMB Children’s Formula was not easy. That’s why FMB took years to develop. With the assistance of the Chief Nutritionist for the New York City School System, Dr. Schauss began to identify nutrients that contributed to the dramatic gain in academic performance. After 3 years of evaluating computer data, various nutrients and foods were identified that studies published in the scientific literature suggested might affect learning and intelligence.

New York City School System Study Results Published in 1986 and 1987

After years of evaluating thousands of data points and quantifiable results, the New York City School System’s study of diet and academic performance was published in 1986 and 1987 by the lead investigators in the International Journal of Biosocial and Medical Research as well as at an Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition, where the study received considerable attention because of the large number of subjects who participated in the study; over 800,000 students, at all grade levels in 803 schools.

In 1991, Dr. Schauss’ fifth book, “Eating For A’s”, was published by America’s leading publishing house (Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster). Loaded with nutritional tips and recipes for parents and children, this fact-filled book reached the attention of regional and national TV shows after which time it sold out in just a few months.

First “Feed My Brain” Tablets Manufactured for Retail Sale in 1994

By 1994, after several years of testing, a pilot food supplement was manufactured for the first time as a tablet called “Feed My Brain.” International markets focusing on literacy and education immediately took an interest in FMB. Indonesia became the first country in the world to receive Feed My Brain, where it was registered with the Indonesian FDA as a food supplement and called “FMB.”

Since then thousands of Indonesian students have taken FMB. Favorable reports from school districts, parents, principals, counselors, and physicians throughout Indonesia, made it into one of the leading food supplements to support brain function in children sold in Indonesia.

Since 1996, thousands of Indonesian students have taken FMB. Many students who were doing poorly in school became “A” students, according to parents. No data was kept as to how many students did not show any benefit. What kept reaching the attention of the company in Indonesia was not the lack of positive testimonials based on returns, but the reports from around the country of students who were benefiting academically, in both rural communities and in major cities.

Not only it the many testimonials suggest that FMB might improve school performance in some students, but it also suggested that it might raise student’s innate intelligence. For many years, scientists believed that one could not raise intelligence beyond acquired intelligence, which is a function of environmental variables that relate to the quality of teaching, schools, parental involvement, etc. They believed that the innate IQ one was born with, called “innate intelligence”, could not increase no matter what kind of school you attended or how many special teachers or tutors one received.

Human intelligence is measured in many ways, but two primary ways have received particular research interest. All humans are born with some degree of intelligence. This intelligence can decide how well an individual may survive in this world, even possibly whether one succeeds in school. It can measure your ability to solve problems that require certain cognitive abilities, for example. This kind of intelligence is called “innate or fluid intelligence.” It can be estimated by the use of specialized intelligence or IQ tests. Can a student do arithmetic, read a book, speak another language, play a musical instrument or remember historical events? All of these subjects are taught by parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, tutors, and teachers. This knowledge is acquired because you were not born with these skills or knowledge. That is why it is called “acquired intelligence”, which can also be determined by certain IQ tests with reasonable reliability. Well known and validated IQ tests can measure this combination of acquired and innate intelligence. The total number of points that represent this combined score on an IQ test is the “IQ score.” It’s not a perfect way to determine intelligence, but an be a useful indication of where a child, for example, might be performing on measures of intelligence compared to other children similarly tested.

A student in school who is 16 years of age, with an IQ of 100 (which is considered average based on earlier studies) is probably smart enough to graduate from high school and become skilled in certain vocations that would result in being able to secure a respectable “entry level” position in quite a number of trades, for example. Yet he or she might struggle in college of admitted as the demands on their cognitive and intellectual problem solving skills become more demanding – basically demanding higher levels of innate intelligence. If that same student had an IQ of 115 (well above average), he or she might be smart enough to graduate from a graduate school, or maybe even earn a Master’s degree or professional graduate school degree. The difference in income earning in a 35-year typical adult life-time work period could be worth millions more according to government data on life-time earnings between students who complete various levels of education.

The question is:  Can FMB increase intelligence up to 16 points? What was an interesting result reported by the researchers who conducted the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, was that they found 20% of the students who were in the FMB group, and who had taken FMB for nearly four months, had a 15.9 point gain in the innate portion of their IQ test. Obviously, this means that the other 80% of students did not show such dramatic gains, yet many of 80% of students did score higher on the innate IQ test (Wechsler Intelligence Test for Chlidren, also known as the “WISC-Revised”) at the end of the study. Maybe all of the students who showed these gains in IQ were children who had deficiencies of nutrients that FMB replenished. That’s why more studies need to be done. These results also illustrate why changes in IQ can be unpredictable and why no guarantees can be made that every child will improve, as there are many variables that can affect a child’s intelligence. Yet this study did try to scientifically evaluate whether any student given FMB would show gains in innate IQ compared to placebo, rather than just relying upon anecdotal evidence of its performance. The FMB randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, study was conducted by researchers who were affiliated with two universities that had no financial stake in the success of the outcome. After the results of the study were independently analyzed by the investigators, the findings were submitted for publication and published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

In 1999, Dr. Schauss’ 10th book was published, Minerals, Trace Elements and Human Health. This book covers 27 minerals, especially many that are important for brain function. The book provides information on suggested intake levels of minerals for males and females in various age groups. Dr. Schauss also gives his keen insight on several important brain minerals to understand what they do and their effect on achievement and behavior if there is a deficiency intake in the diet leading to marginal deficiencies that can affect brain function.

Scientifically formulated for adults, the new FMB Adult Formula was launched in 2004. The vitamins, minerals and food concentrates contained in the FMB Adult Formula provide nutrients that may play a role in supporting brain function as a supplement to the diet. This formula combines the same FMB “learning nutrients” that was studied in students, with additional ingredients geared toward the adult brain.

After many requests over the years, Dr. Schauss and his co-authors acquired the rights for, "Eating for A's", and had it reprinted as “Feed My Brain”, since the word “A’s” sounded too much like “AIDS”, so a new title was needed. Now available through Triunity International, "Feed My Brain - Eating to Excel", is now available. Given the many positive reviews by newspapers around the country, it is a must for parents interested in influencing their children to eat a balanced nutrient dense diet to support brain function and good overall physical health.