How Safe Are Infant Formulas?

Over the years, countless studies have shown that when it comes to infant nutrition, breast milk is best. This remains true, as there is simply no infant formula product on the market that can match the superior nutrition of mother's milk. In addition, some formulas contain ingredients that can be harmful to your baby.

Although some formula recipes have improved over time for mothers who must rely on formula to feed their new baby, many products are full with unhealthy and even harmful ingredients, making breastfeeding the best way to go for new mothers who have the option.

The FDA recently announced that they will allow the chemical Melamine in Baby Formulas a month after they announced it was not safe. The FDA found trace amounts of the chemical Melamine (which has caused havoc in Asia sickening and killing pets and children) in 2 products: Nestlé's Good Start Supreme Infant formula with iron, and traces of cyanuric acid in Infamil Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron from Mead Johnson Nutritionals (Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals). Both companies deny such findings in their own tests. The FDA now concludes that these trace amounts do "not raise public health concerns." Yet, Cadbury and Nestle have recalled candy made in China found to contain Melamine, which is used to fake a higher protein content in milk containing foods.

In reading ingredient labels of some infant formulas like Similac, you may find "high fructose corn syrup", as high as the second ingredient. Corn syrup has been found to increase risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes in children and adults. This could potentially be setting up children for diseases from day one. Unfortunately a new Irish study has found that 61 per cent of males and 40 per cent of females never read the nutrition label before purchase, which may lead to uneducated purchases. To make matters worse the journal Environmental Health say in a study that Mercury has been found in 50% of the US supply of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The US institute for Agriculture and Trade Police also claims to have found mercury in 30% of foods with HFCS as the first or second ingredient.

In addition formula companies are adding DHA and ARA's to some formulas, from "plant sources", promoting them as:"supporting eye development like the breastfed infants". This is a cause of great concern as:

1. These "plant sourced" DHA's are extracted from fungus and algae via a process requiring the use of the neurotoxin chemical Hexane (a byproduct of petroleum refinement). (These are cheaper than fish oils, taste better and can be pulverized for better product consistency.) These DHA and ARA's are according to the Cornucopia Institute is causing some babies to suffer from unexpected deaths and other morbidities including diarrhea, flatulence, jaundice, and apnea among infants who consumed formula supplemented with these long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Other long term effects are unknown.

2. Proper fetal and infant visual and brain development needs DHA and EPA's in the natural balance it's found in fish, EPA's cannot be man-made or extracted (yet).

3. Man has never been able to exactly replicate the nutritional qualities and intricacies of breast milk. Infants are designed to drink from their mother. They are not meant to have cow's milk or anything other than mother's milk in their early lives. Only breast milk contains what a healthy baby needs, including 160 fatty acids that are not found in baby formula.

FDA scientists who reviewed these novel oils have never affirmed their safety. Neither do they have legal power to stop the addition of ingredients such as DHAsco and ARAsco, or to give approval or advice for special ingredients in infant formula. But parents are urged to report any adverse effects of the infant formula to the FDA.

We already know that infants who are not breastfed are at increased risk of infectious diseases like meningitis, diarrhea, respiratory tract infection, and urinary tract infection. They are also at increased risk of SIDS in the first year of life and are more likely to have lower IQ's, and to develop insulin-dependent (type 1) and non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus and many immunological problems like allergies. As adults, they are more likely to develop lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkin's disease, overweight and obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and asthma. And mothers who do not breastfeed are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, and postpartum depression.

Why are we also allowing these unsafe ingredients in infant formula, potentially increasing babies' risks for addition health problems?

Comments

[Barbara Dehn - Huffpost Blogger]

I think we can all agree that breastfeeding is best for babies, and that there are many benefits to both mom and baby. I've been helping moms breastfeed for over 20 years and even wrote Your Personal Guide to Breastfeeding.

I've also cared for moms who weren't able to breastfeed exclusively. Their babies need to eat to grow and develop normally. What should those parents do instead? Luckily we have safe alternatives with infant formulas in the US. They have strict requirements for safety that help all of us, professionals and parents feel more confident about what we feed our little ones.

Yes, you're right high fructose corn syrup is not healthy and that's why it's not in any formulas here. As for melamine, well, take a look around the kitchen. If you have any brightly colored plastic molded plates or bowls, those are made of melamine. Did you know melamine is not considered dishwasher or microwave safe? As it turns out our kids are being exposed to lots of melamine.

Unlike the US, Melamine was added in large quantities to formulas. Here, the FDA found trace amounts in 1 out of over 85 samples tested.

I promote breastfeeding because it is healthy, but only if parents skip the juice boxes and resist the urge to supersize the fries at the drive through window.

More breastfeeding is good, as is informing parents without scaring them.

[FuelFactor]

I want to applaud you on a very informative article on the safety of infant formulas. However, a few points you made on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) need to clarified as they are misleading. Many people do not realize that HFCS is essentially the same as table sugar and honey, containing the same amount of calories and nearly identical ratios of fructose and glucose, therefore providing similar sweetness. Furthermore, research confirms and health professionals agree that HFCS presents no different risk regarding obesity and related diseases as other sweeteners. Rather than blaming a single ingredient or macro-nutrient on the plethora of health issues facing individuals, including children, worldwide, it is important to look at the big picture. People are just consuming (or being fed) too much food in general based on daily activity levels.

Regarding the mercury accusations, these reports are flawed and thus it is wrong to jump to conclusions regarding any health risks. I encourage you to view the link containing an analysis of the IATP and Environmental Health studies by ChemRisk, Inc., a scientific consulting firm that specializes in using risk assessment methods to characterize and provide improved understanding of complex exposures involving chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or radionuclides in a variety of potentially contaminated media: http://www.hfcsfacts.com/HFCS-Mercury-Study-Flawed-Misleading.html.

[wietog]

Easy way to fix the problem: anyone who runs the companies who market these formulas and anyone who develops them must not only ingest their products on a regular basis, but must feed it to their infants (third-party supervised).