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| Exciting Breakthrough in Infant Formula |
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Dear Dr. Greene, I heard on the radio that infant formula
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hurts a baby’s brains. Is that true? Anonymous,Texas
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Dr. Greene's Asnwer: Breast milk is the best
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and safest form of nutrition for infants. Infants and
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breast milk are designed for each other. Infant
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formulas have been developed to substitute for
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breast milk when nursing is impractical, or in the un-
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usual instances when it is physically impossible or
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contraindicated. The goal for infant formulas is to
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match as closely as possible the composition of human
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breast milk. Over the past few years, two key ingredients
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have been identified in breast milk, which, until 2002, were
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not present in the infant formulas available in the United States.
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DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid) are the most prevalent long
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chain fatty acids found in human breast milk. (These naturally occurring fatty acids are al-
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so found in fish oil.) DHA and ARA are the most prevalent structural fats in the brain.
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Healthy brains are about 60% structural fat (not like the flabby fat found elsewhere in the
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body). Of this about 25% is DHA and 15% is ARA. DHA is also a major structural compo-
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nent of the retina of the eye. continued. Previous articles by Dr. Greene
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Alan Greene, MD, FAAP
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