The Risks of Baby Formula

There are many reasons that mothers might choose to use baby formula instead of breastfeeding. They include:

1. The baby can’t breastfeed.
2. The mother is absent. The child might be adopted, or the mother is hospitalized or in prison.
3. Health of the Mother. She may be infected with HIV or TB or is too malnourished, is an alcoholic or drug abuser.
4. Lack of education about breastfeeding.
5. Family pressures. Someone in the mother’s family, or a boyfriend, may encourage the use of formula.
6. Financial difficulties. Perhaps there is no maternity leave, or the mom’s job schedule interferes with breastfeeding.
7. The mother’s personal beliefs. She may not feel comfortable feeding the baby around other people, or she might feel the breasts are too sexual for a baby.
8. Dietary issues. The baby may experience an allergic reaction because of something in mom’s diet.

Governmental agencies like the FDA or the mother’s own doctor may inform her that infant formula is a nutritionally safe and adequate food for her baby and a fine substitute for breast milk.

John D. Benson, PhD, and Mark L. Masor, PhD, both pediatric nutrition researchers at a major pharmaceutical company, write that it has become “increasingly apparent that infant formula can never duplicate human milk… Human milk contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, immunoglobulins and compounds with unique structures that cannot be replicated in infant formula.”

In the majority of cases, formula is not medically necessary, but if you believe that your milk supply is low or you have some other reason and you think your baby has a real need for infant formula, consider contacting a lactation consultant for counseling and advice.

Things Your Doctor Probably Didn’t Tell You

Here are some risks associated with baby formula feeding:

• Formula feeding accounts for up to 26% of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in children.
• US formula-fed babies have a 10 times greater risk of being hospitalized for bacterial infections.
• Middle ear infection (otitis media) is up to 3-4 times as common in formula-fed infants.
• One sudden infant death (SIDS) occurs for every 1,000 live births as a result of not breastfeeding in Western nations.
• In the US, 4 out of every 1,000 babies die because they are not breastfed.
• Even after adjusting for the mother’s education and socioeconomic level, formula-fed preterm infants had lower IQ scores at age 7 to 8 years than premature babies who were fed breast milk.
• Because of excessive phosphate in formula, formula-fed infants have a 30-fold risk of neonatal tetany (convulsions, seizures, twitching) during the first 10 days of life.

Studies have shown an increased likelihood of the following conditions occurring in formula-fed infants:

Candidiasis, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, Haemophilus influenzae, meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, ear infection, pneumococcal disease, respiratory infections, respiratory syncytial virus, salmonellosis, urinary tract infections, anemia, autoimmune thyroid disease, constipation and anal fissures, undescended testicle, esophageal and gastric lesions, gastroesophageal reflux, inguinal hernia, morbidity and mortality, pyloric stenosis, SIDS, wheezing, allergies, asthma, eczema, lower IQ, lower visual acuity, delayed speech and language development, appendicitis, lower bone mass, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, celiac disease, diabetes mellitus, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, obesity, schizophrenia, tonsillitis.

Is an Organic Baby Formula Better?

A recent New York Times article revealed that organic Similac is sweetened with cane sugar and is much sweeter than other formulas. Dr. Benjamin Caballero, director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, believes that feeding children sweet things encourages them to eat more, and he doesn’t think sucrose belongs in infant formula.

The FDA doesn’t approve infant formula before it is marketed, although they have some minimal guidelines of nutrient amounts to be included. In the US, food manufactures can put anything in infant formula that they want to, as long as it’s recognized as safe.

In Europe, because of the epidemic of childhood obesity , sucrose is banned from baby formulas starting in 2009.

If there’s not a legitimate medical necessity or economic hardship involved, mothers should carefully consider before making a switch to formula.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends, with few exceptions, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. Other authorities recommend that babies be fed breast milk for the first 12-24 months.

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