Rising numbers of babies are being fed special types of formula milk which could cause obesity and tooth decay, experts warn. They fear parents are being ‘exploited’ by misleading information into buying ‘unhealthy, unnecessary and expensive’ non-standard infant formulas. Including lactose-free and antireflux versions, these have alternative ingredients that can fuel issues such as excess weight gain or digestion problems if there is no medical need to use them.
Research has previously found nine out of ten babies consuming formula aimed at those allergic to cow’s milk do not have an allergy. Instead, experts believe ‘sophisticated marketing’ is convincing parents that their babies need special milk. The cost is nearly 40 per cent more compared with standard versions.
Dr Vicky Sibson, director of UK charity First Steps Nutrition, said: ‘‘Parents are being ripped off and their vulnerabilities exploited when they are just trying to make good choices for their babies.’’ ‘’There are some non-breastfed babies who have a medical need for a special type of formula. ‘‘On the other hand, these products are marketed in a way which leads parents with healthy babies to believe that normal behaviour, like being unsettled, means their baby might have a problem and that a certain special formula could fix it,’’ Doctor Sibson added.
Dr Sibson is the lead author of an editorial last month in the Clinical and Experimental Allergy journal which warned that curr.