Infant formula kills infants through cytotoxicity

Infant formula kills infants through cytotoxicity


(NaturalNews) Infant formula has been implicated as possibly a major
causes of death in premature newborns, in a study conducted by
researchers from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and published in the journal Pediatric Research.

For
many years, scientists have known that premature infants fed formula
are significantly more likely to develop an often fatal condition known
as necrotizing enterocolitis than those fed breast milk. Necrotizing
enterocolitis is the most common gastrointestinal disease to cause death
in premature infants, but its underlying causes have been largely
unknown.

In a prior study, the UCSD researchers learned that free
fatty acids are naturally formed as a side effect of the human
digestive process, and that these fatty acids sometimes act like a
"detergent" that kills cells by rupturing their membranes. However, such
cell death (cytotoxicity) is rare in humans and in older children,
perhaps due to the layer of mucus that coats the intestines. Because the
intestines of newborns - especially premature ones - are not as well
coated, the researchers wondered if free fatty acids might not be to
blame for necrotizing enterocolitis.

Formula kills intestinal and immune cells

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health,
the researchers used pancreatic enzymes or intestinal fluid to digest
breast milk and nine different infant formulas that are marketed for
preterm and full-term infants. They tested the digested milk
and formula for levels of free fatty acids, then added the fatty acids
to cells known to be involved in necrotizing enterocolitis.

The
cells tested were those lining the intestines (epithelial), those lining
the blood vessels (endothelial) and neutrophils, a variety of white
blood cell that is one of the first cell types to respond to
trauma-induced inflammation.

Across the board, formula digestion produced free fatty acids
that killed all three types of cells, whereas breast milk digestion
produced little or no cell death. For example, between 47 and 99 percent
of neutrophils died when exposed to digested infant formula,
but only six percent of the neutrophils died when exposed to digested
breast milk. In some cases, the digested infant formula caused cell
death in fewer than five minutes.

The researchers found that the
body seems to digest breast milk in a slower, more controlled way than
it digests most foods, leading to a lower release of free fatty acids.
This appears to be an adaptive mechanism to prevent cell death in an
infant's developing digestive system.

Because the risks of
feeding formula to premature babies are well-known, many neonatal
intensive care units have been making efforts to end the practice.
Pediatric gastroenterologist and UCSD professor Sharon Taylor said that
the study should help support such efforts. She noted that although
breast feeding premature infants
is difficult, hospital staff can enable it by helping mothers pump
their breast milk, which can then be fed to premature infants through a
tube.

The study suggests that infant formula may pose a risk to
any infant with gastrointestinal problems, not just those born
prematurely.

Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/038386_infant_formula_cytotoxicity_premature_death.html