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.