Nutrients To Infant Formula Through First Year (NAPSA)—Theresults of a new study show that Enfamil Lipi. with Iron which is supplemented with the fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoie acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid) helps to significantly improve the visual development of infants compared to non-supplemented formula. The study was conducted by researchers at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas, and is published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics. This new study adds to the existing body of research that supports the developmental benefits of DHA and ARA. Researchers studied babies who were breastfed from birth to four to six months and then randomly weaned—either to the DHA and ARA supplemented formula, Enfamil Lirit with Iron, or to a formula without DHA and ARA. The babies fed the supplemented formula had improved visual acuity at one year of age, compared to the babies fed the non-supplemented formula after weaning. Infant formulas are the most highly regulated food in the U.S. To date, more than 100 studies have been conducted on the sources of DHA and ARA used in infant formulas. Besides visual development, research on DHA and ARAsupplemented formula has also demonstrated improved brain development when compared with formula without DHA and ARA. “T have completed a numberof clinical trials of both DHA and ARAand our studies, as well as most otherclinical trials, suggest that formulas with the appropriate level of these nutrients offer babies a significant advantage,” said Vuh Susan Carlson, Ph.D., professor of nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center. “We've seen higher early visual acuity and accelerated development assessed by measuring infant attention. The improvements appear to be even greater in low birth weight babies who did not receive DHA from their mothers during the last trimester of pregnancy.” DHAand ARAare provided to babies by the mother before birth and through breast milk afterwards, but these nutrients have never before been included in infant formula in the United States until Enfamil Lipi, with Iron received clearance from the FDAnearly two years ago. Several infant formulas now contain DHA and ARA, but only Enfamil LipiL with Iron contains levels that have been clinically proven to enhance mental and visual development in full-term infants. More than one million babies worldwide have been fed formulas with the same DHA and ARAlevels as found in Enfamil LIPIL. Enfamil Lipit is available in a wide variety of infant formulas to meet babies’ unique feeding needs. To learn more, visit enfamil.com or call 1-800-BABY-123.
