Infant formula affects children's weight?

According to the latest reports from foreign media, a new study funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, published online in the journal Pediatrics recently published, found that the type of infant formula has an important impact on the increase in children’s weight. It may also increase the risk of future diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Researchers say that some of the activities in the early stages of life have long-term effects on health. One of the most important effects is the increase in weight during infancy. Research has confirmed that children who eat milk powder gain significantly faster than breast-fed children. However, are all types of infant formula exactly the same? This is the focus of new research.

In the new study, the researchers administered a two-week-old infant formula to a milk-based infant formula (35 infants) and a protein hydrolyzed infant formula (24 infants). Both groups of infants consumed their formula milk powder for 7 consecutive months. The calorie intake was the same in both groups, but milk infant formula contained relatively little protein. It was found that children who drank milk-based infant formulas gained weight more quickly than those who normally breastfed.

The researchers said that all infant formulae are not the same. The two formulas involved in the study had the same calories, but they had very different effects on the weight gain of infants.

Protein hydrolyzed infant formulas contain more easily digestible proteins and are often used to feed infants who are intolerant of protein in other infant formulas. One of the reasons why infants who eat protein hydrolyzed infant formulas have a weight gain pattern that is closer to that of breast-fed children is that children consume less milk per infant than infants who have milk formula.