A new study reveals that the label on baby formula has been misleading about lactose.
The study was completed by the University of Rochester Medical Center.
The University has looked at the national purchasing data for more than 1.65 billion liters of powder formula.
They also looked at the major retailers that sold the formula from the years of 2017 through 2019.
What did the study on baby formula reveal?
According to Rochester First, data revealed that 59% of all of the powder formula was lactose reduced.
This means that the formulas had substitutes in place of lactose.
That includes corn syrup and table sugar. In addition, the study showed that more infants are ingesting hypoallergenic formula than necessary.
There is only one way to determine if your formula is lactose reduced. That’s by looking at all of its ingredients.
By checking the label for things like corn syrup, corn syrup solids, brown rice syrup, it shows there is less lactose.
Dr. Bridget Young, an assistant professor in the Division of Breastfeeding and Lactation at URMC, shared her expertise.
She shared that checking the labels on each and every can is a lot of work and that these formulas should be labeled on the front of the can.
This would make it easier for parents to decide what their infants are eating and for pediatricians to know the difference.
While this may be of concern, all of the ingredients in the formulas are safe for consumption.
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