Baby Growth and Development :  Critical Components

Now that you are done with your pregnancy, (finally!), you may be getting ready to share the endless joys your little one has to offer, Or you may be already experiencing not only the joys but also the responsibilities that come with it.

We are yet to see a formula brand that can match the fatty acid ratio of linoleic to alpha linolenic acid as in breast milk. Some formulas offer 10.8:1 and we think you should take it as a minimum. This would be closer to breast milk at a ratio of 5:1 to 15:1. We are yet to see a formula brand that would match this and we believe it is actually not possible.

Here are the four main components:

DHA and ARA (sometimes referred as AA)
In the medical world these are referred as Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (LCP). LCPs can be divided broadly into two categories:

* The omega 3 family (includes docosahexaenoic acid - DHA)
* The omega 6 family (includes arachidonic acid - AA)


These nutrients are very critical for the healthy development of not only infant's brain but also nervous system and vision. It is well known that brain phospholipids consist of more than 30% AA and DHA. When you choose a formula, you need to make sure you read all the nutrient information and understand how much levels of these nutrients are offered in each brand. The Koletzko Report on the Munich Workshop recommends 0.35% AA and 0.20% DHA levels. Another thing to consider is that the source of LCPs need to be vegetable based. They are much safer compared to other non-veg based LCPs. They also seem to be more effective. Vegetable based LCP sources are better because it is less difficult to extract AA and DHA in a pure form.

Additional sources include fish oils and egg yolk lipid. Egg yolk lipid contains both AA and DHA, but in a different chemical form (phospholipids) from those in human milk (triglycerides). Fish oil contains relatively high levels of the omega -3 family of fatty acids, including DHA, but only modest amounts of AA, which is required for normal growth.

You need to make sure the formula contains a highly concentrated, pure source of AA and DHA triglycerides, developed from a single cell plant source. We believe it is much safer and more effective.

The retina is more enriched with DHA than any other tissue in the human body as it naturally accumulates here. Many clinical studies show, the early intake of preformed DHA and AA is necessary for the optimal visual development of the infant. The infants given supplemented ARA:DHA formula compared to non-supplemented, had improved vision. This can be comparable to seeing an entire extra line on an eye chart. In addition some other recent research shows that fortifying a term infant formula with LCPs leads to improved IQ test sources in infants.

Selenium
You need to make sure you can get rid of harmful radicals. That's what it is all about. Selenium plays an important role in balancing metabolism by scavenging for "free radicals". Selenium is an anti-oxidant. The body continually produces free radicals and disposes of them by a series of reactions. This is often termed in the medical world as "antioxidant defense mechanisms". These mechanisms involve special enzymes that turn the harmful radicals into innocuous water and oxygen. When these free radicals are produced in excess amounts, their activity can become out of control as well as damaging. This is often called as "oxidative stress". To prevent this damage, the human body has developed a scavenging system or "wipe-off system" of substances, which combine with free radicals to neutralize them. Selenium is one of these substances.

Nucleotides
Nucleotides are found in all living cells of the body, period. They are involved in several bio-chemical functions and are often described as the "building blocks of life" as they form the basis of our Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). We can even say they are essential for the body's function. Nucleotides are constantly being formed and degraded, especially in tissues with rapid turnover rates such as skin, gut, white and red blood cells, and the immune system.

Nucleotides help the gut by promoting the growth of "good" bacteria, which in turn protects the gut against harmful bacteria. In addition they play an important role in the growth development of gut cells. Babies fed a formula supplemented with nucleotides have been shown to have immune cell activity and production similar to breast fed babies, allowing them to fight off infection better than babies fed non-supplemented formula. Even though some studies show this keep in mind there is almost no substitute to breast milk when it comes to better immune system. But its a good thing to have in formulas because you at least need to make sure the formula you feed is as close as you can get to breast milk.

Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is considered to be the carotenoid with high value in terms of human nutrition. Beta-carotene is another antioxidant that helps the development of the immune system and assists the healthy development of body, skin and eye tissue. It has a high regard because ingested beta-carotene can be converted by the human body into vitamin A. Vitamin A is known to be critical for maintaining the immune system and also in aiding vision as well as cell growth and reproduction. Beta-carotene has additional bio-chemical functions just like selenium like free radical scavenger. Others include protecting the cells against cellular damage and having an effect on immune functions. Free radicals are harmful, highly reactive by-products of metabolism. They are basically molecules or ions with impaired electrons.


Now that you know about these components, you can visit specific brands and read their reviews. You can also share your experience and thoughts with us. It is very important that we hear from you the consumer. Only with proactive and participating parents like you, we can maintain a rich resource that can help other parents and in turn our children.

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