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Baby formula manufacturers, including Abbott Laboratories,
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Wyeth, are promoting new baby formula
supplemented with fatty acids as a way to make babies smarter
and have better eyesight. However, the additives may not live
up to the claims, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
which oversees the composition of formula, said results of
studies to show the health benefits of fatty acid additives
to formula were mixed.
Baby formula supplemented with fatty acids could cost
parents an additional $200 a year for formula. The
manufacturers explain the added cost by pointing out the fact
that only one company makes the forms of DHA and ARA used
in infant formula. The American Academy of Pediatrics has
not endorsed the new formulas because of their potential "unknown
adverse effects."
According to parents and pediatricians, marketing of formula
with fatty acids DHA and ARA is more aggressive than usual.
Magazine adds and product labels promote the benefits of the
fatty acids, and many hospitals are receiving free samples
to give to parents after their babies are born. Formula manufacturers
are also targeting pediatricians, whom they regard as essential
in reaching parents.
The FDA has added the new additives in formulas to its list
of "generally regarded as safe" ingredients. While
such additives have been used in formulas sold abroad since
1996, they haven’t been used in the past in the United
States.
Dozens of clinical trials have been completed by Ross Products,
the Abbott subsidiary that produces the Isomil and Similac
brands, and Mead Johnson Nutritionals, the Bristol-Myers subsidiary
that makes Enfamil, which are the largest companies in the
formula business. Results showed short-term benefits among
babies who were fed formula supplemented with the fatty acids.
Further, a consumer education group reviewed about 24 studies
on the topic and found that about one-third of the studies
showed no difference in babies who took the DHA-supplemented
formulas compared with those who did not. Two-thirds of the
studies showed a benefit.
However, according to some critics, there is a significant
shortage of long-term, independent studies.
The two fatty acids being added to the baby formulas have
long been associated with health benefits. For instance, DHA,
or docosahexaenoic acid, is found in fish oil and is thought
to help reduce the risk of heart attacks. ARA, arachidonic
acid, is found in meat, eggs and milk and is believed to improve
brain development.
Reportedly, all the formula manufacturers that have added
products with the fatty acids have had increases in overall
sales. The companies reach parents through hospitals and hope
that they will stick with their brand after trying it for
their babies’ first days of life.
In 2001, nearly 70 percent of mothers breast-fed their children
at the start. However, by the time a baby reaches six months
of age, the percentage of breast-feeding mothers is cut in
half as many parents begin using formula around this time.
New
York Times June 1, 2003
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