Infant formula Totally Explained

Everything about Baby Formula totally explained

Infant formula is an artificial substitute for human breast milk, designed for infant consumption. The first preparations for the feeding of infants were produced commercially in 1867 by Justus von Liebig. Today, most infant formulas are based on either cow milk or soy milk; some, for infants with special dietary needs, are highly modified and may contain neither cow milk nor soy. Use of infant formula has been decreasing in industrial countries for over forty years as a result of antenatal education, increased understanding of the risks of infant formula, and social activism.
A 2001 WHO report finds that infant formula prepared in accord with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards is a nutritionally adequate and safe complementary food and a suitable breast milk substitute. Nonetheless, with few exceptions the WHO report recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.
Infant formula is necessarily an imperfect approximation of breast milk because:

The exact chemical properties of breast milk are still unknown.
A mother's breast milk changes in response to the feeding habits of her baby and over time, thus adjusting to the infant's individual growth and development.
Breast milk includes a mother's white blood cells that help the baby avoid or fight off infections and give his immature immune system the benefit of his mother's immune system that has many years of experience with the germs common in their environment.

History of formula

Early infant foods

Throughout history, mothers who couldn't (or chose not to) breastfeed their babies either employed the use of a wet nurse or, less frequently, prepared food for their babies, a process known as "dry nursing." Baby food composition varied according to region and economic status.. In Europe and America during the early 19th century, the prevalence of wet nursing began to decrease, while the practice of feeding babies mixtures based on animal milk rose in popularity. This trend was driven by cultural changes as well as increased sanitation measures, and it continued throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century, with a notable increase after Elijah Pratt invented and patented the India-rubber nipple in 1845. As early as 1846, scientists and nutritionists noted an increase in medical problems and infant mortality was associated with dry nursing. In an attempt to improve the quality of manufactured baby foods, in 1867, Justus von Liebig developed the world's first commercial infant formula, Liebig's Soluble Food for Babies. The success of this product quickly gave rise to competitors such as Mellin's Infant Food, Ridge's Food for Infants and Nestle's Milk.

Raw milk formulas

As physicians became increasingly concerned about the quality of such foods, medical recommendations such as Thomas Morgan Rotch's "percentage method" (published in 1890) began to be distributed, and gained widespread popularity by 1907. These complex formulas recommended that parents mix cow's milk, water, cream, and sugar or honey in specific ratios to achieve the nutritional balance believed to approximate human milk reformulated in such a way as to accommodate the believed digestive capability of the infant.
At the dawn of the 20th century in the United States, most infants were breastfed, although many received some formula feeding as well. Home-made "percentage method" formulas were more commonly used than commercial formulas in both Europe and the United States. They were less expensive and were widely believed to be healthier. However, formula-fed babies exhibited more diet-associated medical problems, such as scurvy, rickets and bacterial infections than breastfed babies. By 1920, the incidence of scurvy and rickets in formula-fed babies had greatly decreased through the addition of orange juice and cod liver oil to home-made formulas. Bacterial infections associated with formula remained a problem more prevalent in the United States than in Europe, where milk was usually boiled prior to use in formulas.

Evaporated milk formulas

In the 1920s and 1930s, evaporated milk began to be widely commercially available at low prices, and several clinical studies suggested that babies fed evaporated milk formula thrive as well as breastfed babies (these findings are not supported by modern research.) These studies, accompanied by the affordable price of evaporated milk and the availability of the home icebox initiated a tremendous rise in the use of evaporated milk formulas. By the late 1930s, the use of evaporated milk formulas in the United States surpassed all commercial formulas, and by 1950 over half of all babies in the United States were reared on such formulas.

Commercial formulas

In parallel with the enormous shift (in industrialized nations) away from breastfeeding to home-made formulas, nutrition scientists continued to analyze human milk and attempt to make infant formulas that more closely matched its composition. However, this upswing in breastfeeding has been accompanied by a deferment in the average age of introduction of other foods (such as cow's milk), resulting in increased use of both breastfeeding and infant formula between the ages of 3-12 months.
Leading health organizations (for example US CDC, WHO, US HHS) are attempting to increase the prevalence of breastfeeding through public awareness campaigns. The goals of these programs vary by organization, with recommended breastfeeding ages ranging between birth and 24 months. Additionally, regulatory initiatives also encourage breastfeeding. For example, the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes requires infant formula companies to preface their product information with statements that breastfeeding is the best way of feeding babies and that a substitute should only be used after consultation with health professionals.

Choosing to use infant formula

Reasons for using infant formula include:

Due to the mother's health: The mother is infected with HIV or tuberculosis. Studies have found infants in developed countries who consume formula are at increased risk for acute otitis media, non-specific gastroenteritis, severe lower respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, asthma, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), eczema, and necrotizing enterocolitis when compared to infants who are breastfed.
Although some studies have found an association between infant formular and lower cognitive development, other studies have found no correlation.

Risks increased

In studies, formula-feeding is associated with increased likelihood of the following conditions in infants:

Candidiasis

Diarrhea

Gastroenteritis

Haemophilus influenzae

Meningitis in preterm infants

Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Ear Infection

Pneumococcal Disease

Respiratory Infections

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Salmonellosis

Sepsis in Preterm Infants

Urinary Tract Infections

Anemia and Iron Deficiency

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Constipation and Anal fissures

Undescended Testicle

Esophogeal and Gastrid Lesions

Gastroesophogeal Reflex

Inguinal Hernia

Morbidity and Mortality

Pyloric stenosis

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Wheezing

Allergies

Asthma

Eczema

Lower IQ

Lower Visual Acuity

Delayed Speech and Language Development

Appendicitis

Lower Bone Mass

Cancer

Haemophilus Influenzae Meningitis

Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn's Disease

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Multiple Sclerosis

Obesity

Schizophrenia

Tonsillitis

Risks decreased

Infectious diseases

HIV infection

CMV infection,

HTLV-1 infection Malnutrition

Iron deficiency

Vitamin deficiencies

Inadequate nutrition during transition to solid foods

Manufacturers

Major infant formula manufacturers include:

PBM Products: The first to introduce store brand formula in the U.S.

Mead Johnson: owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb, makes Enfamil

Nestlé: the largest producer of formula in the world, makes Good Start

Abbott Nutrition: a division of Abbott Laboratories, makes Similac

Wyeth Nutrition: Market leader in the Philippines S-26 Gold, Promil Gold, Progress Gold, S-26, Promil, Promil Kid, Bonna, Bonamil, Bonakid 1+, Bonakid 3+, Nursoy

Parent's Choice

Bright Beginnings

Gerber Products Company

Earth's Best owned by Hain Celestial

Organic Baby

Danone recently acquired Royal Numino, Dumex, MilupaFurther Information

Get more info on 'Baby Formula'.

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