Health & Baby

Fortified Formula Boosts Infant Development

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The babies fed formula with algae-derived fatty acids gained weight quicker than the babies fed formula with fish oil-derived fatty acids up to about age 1. Their growth was found to be similar to that of full-term infants who were breastfed.

Both supplemented formula types were also associated with more rapid brain and motor development.

Though both new studies show benefits for babies fed fortified baby formulas during the first year of life, it is not yet clear if those benefits are still seen in older children. Oregon Health and Sciences University nutrition professor William E. Connor, MD, says there is some evidence that the benefits are long lasting.

"Obviously, we need more studies that follow these children longer," he tells WebMD. "But it does seem that these formulas that mimic the composition of breast milk as closely as possible do benefit children long term."