D. - Infant Formulas

Abstract

This chapter discusses milk formulas for infants. Term infants at birth are usually able to suck, swallow, digest, and absorb nutrients from human milk and similar liquid foods. Human milk is believed to be the best source of nutrients and non-nutrient components for their optimal growth and development because it has been developed for this purpose through millennia of evolution. The synthesis of human milk is probably programmed by an interchange of information pre-and post-natally between mother and fetus or infant to produce the best milk for the infant. The rationale for recommending human milk as the optimal food for infants is based on the nutrient balance which includes digestibility and absorbability, the growth-promoting substances therein and the host defense substances and mechanisms it contains. The physical organization of milk is noteworthy with the constituents distributed in solution, colloidal dispersions, emulsions, and cells. The structure of triacylglycerols in formulas does not resemble that of human milk. The long-term consequences of feeding formula compared to human milk are not known. Readers seeking information on the relative merits of formulas should make their decisions with the advice of professionals. They should realize that the composition of formulas is changed as our knowledge of infant nutrition advances. The manufacturers of formulas are knowledgeable and will alter their products as needed.