Report reveals a high degree of added sugar in the American baby formula despite medical recommendations

Added sugar, derived from cheap crops such as corn, is bad for babies. According to the American Heart Association, added sugars are full of energy, but they lack nutritional value, which increases the chances of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health problems.

But one study Today published from the University of Kansas in the Journal of Food composition and analysis Shows most baby formulas on the American market, mainly contain added sugars instead of the healthier, naturally occurring lactose that is found in a cow’s milk base that would be best for babies because it is closest to human breast milk.

“Added sugars are contraindicated for infants and children under the age of 2, they should not have,” said the main author Audrey RIPS-goodwin, a KU student who led the analysis of KU’s health behavior and technologyab.

“Earlier research has shown that some baby formulas contain added sugars. We have tried to identify the best baby formulas available in 2022 – which with the highest share of naturally occurring lactose. We found that only five of the 73 formulas tested from 70% to 90% naturally occurring lactose.

Senior author Tera Fazzino, Assistantial teacher Psychology and associated director of the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research & Treatment at KU’s Life Span Institute, said the data of the study was a unveiling because the Food and Drug Administration has no food requirements or labeling mandates for it Sugar profile of formula marketed to American parents and care providers.

“Most baby formulas on the American market mainly contain added sugars,” she said. “Standard formulas had more than half of the sugars from added sugars, around 60%, while soft and lactose -free formulas contain on average about 85% added sugars.”

Fazzino said that parents have no way to know this nutritional information without the KU analyzes because of lax regulatory and labeling requirements for American formulas.

“The FDA stipulates that baby formulas must contain a specific part of the calories from fats and proteins, but it does not regulate sources of carbohydrates,” she said. “That is why formula companies can use any type of carbohydrate, including added sugars (for example solids of corn syrup, fructose, glucose) and starch in their formulas.”

The KU researchers said that the consumption of added sugars in the baby formula can also give more preference for sweet flavors, of which other scientific work has shown that it can lead to overfeeding and higher opportunities on obesity and related chronic health problems later in life.

“Our children’s market market is completely in contradiction with what experts in health health recommend,” said RIPS-goodwin.

Although breast milk is universally recommended as the preference over formula, delivering breast milk to babies is not always possible for all mothers. Some mothers experience a low milk supply, difficulty level or painful conditions such as mastitis. Other medicines and medical disorders make breastfeeding impossible.

In the past, Fazazino said that social barriers make offering breast milk more difficult than necessary for many parents.

“We have a huge systemic problem in which parental leave does not exist at the federal level and is not required,” she said. “This lack of support makes it especially difficult to breastfeed a baby, which is essentially a full-time job for the first six months of life. There is an extremely limited social support for the early stages of baby and childcare In general. “

The KU team quoted a lack of breastfeeding drugs, such as special spaces in public areas. With few formula brands on the market without unhealthy added sugars, parents are left in a bind, unable to offer breast milk or a nutritional suitable formula.

“Without structural support, excluding breastfeeding becomes very difficult, even though it is generally promoted as the best option for the baby’s health,” Fazzino said.

“Although it is known that breast milk is beneficial for infants, the lack of systemic support means that most parents ultimately use the formula – or as a supplement or complete. Our findings suggest that the baby formula itself can be a considerable risk for a healthy baby development . “