Common ingredient in infant formula was found to be linked to
diarrhea, severe dehydration and seizures in babies, according to
complaints submitted to the FDA.

A shocking report has been released on the adverse health effects of
fatty acids found in infant formulas. The Cornucopia Institute, a US-
based corporate watchdog group, presented their findings on the fatty
acids DHA and ARA, which are now commonly added to formula.

The report is based on a Freedom of Information Act request that the
Cornucopia Institute filed with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the result of which was the uncovering of 98 reports filed by
parents and physicians detailing incidences when babies had reacted
adversely to formula containing DHA/ARA. The reported incidences
range from cases of vomiting and diarrhea that stopped when babies
switched to non-DHA/ARA formula to babies being treated in intensive
care units for severe dehydration and seizures.

The FDA has never been convinced of the safety of DHA/ARA additives,
according to the report. In its initial analysis of the additives,
the FDA stated it had reached no determination on their safety
status. The administration also noted that some studies had reported
unexpected deaths among infants who had been fed with DHA/ARA
formula. Despite its reservations, inexplicably the FDA did not
withhold approval for the additives.

INFACT Canada has long questioned the use of DHA and ARA (also
marketed as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) in infant formula. All
major formula companies have added the fatty acids to their products
in recent years, claiming that they aid in brain and eye development.
However most test results have found the additives have negligible
effects on infant development. But because DHA and ARA are found
naturally in breastmilk, formula companies market DHA/ARA formula
as “closer to breastmilk.”

Martek Biosciences Corporation, the company that supplies almost all
formula companies with DHA/ARA, has admitted that the purpose of the
additives is not to encourage healthy development, but to be used as
a marketing tool. In its promotional material to encourage
investment, Martek stated:

“Infant formula is currently a commodity market, with all products
being almost identical and marketers competing intensely to
differentiate their product. Even if [DHA/ARA] has no benefit, we
think it would be widely incorporated into formulas, as a marketing
tool and to allow companies to promote their formula as ‘closest to
human milk.’”

While DHA and ARA are found naturally in breast milk, the idea that
Martek’s manufactured acids make formula closer to breast milk is
ridiculous. Martek produces DHA and ARA from fermented algae and
fungus, and uses hexane (a neurotoxin) in the manufacturing process.
Simply adding these synthetic substances to formula cannot make
artificial baby milk behave like breast milk, which is a complex,
living substance that provides babies with the best possible
nutrition and immunological protection.

Regular infant formula puts babies’ health at risk, but now infants
are being harmed for the sake of a marketing tool. This is an
egregious case of formula companies putting profit margins above
infant health. In light of this report, it is imperative that all
parents be made aware of the potential risks of feeding their babies
formula with DHA/ARA. The products should be pulled from the market
until their safety can be properly assessed by independent
investigations.

Babies should not have to get sick just because companies want to
raise their sales figures.

For the full report, see:
http://cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_FullReport.pdf

~ INFACT Canada
http://www.infactcanada.ca