Breast-fed infants have been shown to have a lower incidence of certain infections than formula-fed infants, and they may also have fewer allergies later in life. Clearly, breast is best. However, if you decide to use formula for your baby, commercially available products will support normal growth and development.
Choosing The Right Formula For Your Baby
Casein, whey, soy, hydrolyzed, lactose, sucrose, disaccharide-free, lactose-free, hypoallergenic-these are but a few of the unfamiliar words on formula labels. The vast majority of babies fed a human milk substitute are given modified cow milk or soy protein-based formula.
Cow milk protein contains two major componentscasein and whey. Remember the childhood fable, "Little Miss Muffett, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey?" Well, she was eating cottage cheese. The "curds" are actually casein, and the more digestible "whey" is the liquid protein that floats on top.
Soy protein is significantly different in composition from cow milk protein, but both are modified to more closely resemble the amino acid content of human milk (human milk protein is actually 40 percent casein and 60 percent whey). The carbohydrate in whole cow milk-based formulas is lactose. This disaccharide, which is comprised of two basic carbohydrate units, is the naturally occurring sugar in all mammalian milks, including human milk. Lactose, in addition to providing an important energy source, also enhances the absorption of calcium. Soy formulas generally contain either sucrose (table sugar) or corn syrup. Fats in all formulas are "engineered" from a variety of sources.
