Formula additives no help to infants

Formula additives no help to infants

JAKARTA (JP): Adding DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and AA
(arachidonic acid) to food formulas will not improve a baby's
vision and nervous system, experts have said.

The discovery that rejected this common assumption was put
forward by Alan Lucas, director of the childhood nutrition center
at the London's Institute of Child Health, during the 11th
national congress for child health science in Jakarta last week.

This corresponds with the results of the Ross Pediatric Lipid
Study's research in the United States in 1997 that demonstrated
that there is no difference in the growth and visual functions of
babies who are given DHA and AA during the first 12 months.

In 1998, expert committees in the United States and Canada
also concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support
adding DHA and AA to infant formulas.

"Until its safety and efficacy could be proven, the council of
experts did not recommend the routine addition of DHA and AA to
formulas for full-term infants."

Modern infant formulas generally contain the essential fatty
acids that are the precursor to DHA and AA. The enzymes required
for the biosynthesis of AA and DHA from linoleic acid (LA) and
alpha linolenic acid (LNA) are present in the central nervous
system and the liver.

Two recent trials on preterm infants provide reassurance that
addition of both DHA and AA to preterm formulas is not associated
with growth suppression. One of these studies failed to
demonstrate hypothesized efficacy on visual development. A large
study involving 450 infants failed to show any impact on
neurodevelopment after DHA and AA was taken for six months until
the age of 18 months.

Recommendations to add AA and DHA to infant formulas were
first made in 1991 and were based largely on the composition of
human milk, autopsy studies on DHA and AA levels in neutral
tissue, and results from the initial studies with preterm infants
fed formulas containing DHA (without AA).

In 1995, results of clinical studies regarding whether to add
those substances to standard formulas began to appear.