Baby Formula Study a Marketing Cover, Researchers Say

A new study shows benefits in adding the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA to infant formula, but breast-feeding experts say they will still advocate a more natural source of DHA: breast milk.

The study, appearing in the journal Child Development, indicates that infants receiving formula supplemented with DHA performed better on a cognitive test than infants who were given formula without it. DHA occurs naturally in breast milk.

But while doctors say the evidence may support formula containing a DHA supplement over formula without one, they are concerned that the study may be the first test toward marketing a replacement for breast milk. The formula used in the study was provided to the researchers by a manufacturing company for free.

One pediatrician notes that in her own practice, some mothers are convinced that formula with DHA can be superior to breast milk.

"The marketing has actually dissuaded mothers from choosing exclusive breast-feeding, which is preferred from all the outcomes that we understand," said Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a pediatrician with Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J.

"There are many other factors in human milk that also support neurocognitive development and visual acuity," said Feldman-Winter.

And she was not alone in her skepticism for the apparent reasons behind the study.

"It is clear that the food industry fascination with nutraceuticals (strategically fortified food products) is now spreading into infant formula," said Barbara Moore, president and CEO of Shape Up America!, in an e-mail to ABCNews.com. "This is a disturbing new development. We have parents thinking that sticking their tiny infants in front of a Baby Einstein video will improve their child's mental development when the data suggest that parent-child interactions (and plenty of them) are the most critical factor for such development. Moore said in the e-mail. "Now parents will be encouraged to forego breast-feeding -- which is optimal for both mothers and babies -- in favor of a hyped up infant formula."

Breast milk has other benefits not related to mental development, Moore said. "Breast-feeding confers protection against infection, including viral infections, and the CDC promotes breast-feeding to confer maximal protection against swine flu and other infections."

James Drover, the study's lead author, did not respond to a request from ABC News for comment.

Infants who display superior performance on the means-end problem solving task tend to have superior IQ and vocabulary later in childhood, it's possible that the beneficial effects of DHA extend well beyond infancy.

Dr. Miriam Labbok, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, expressed some skepticism with the findings.

"It might be reasonable from these industry-funded studies to consider that this would be a good additive to formula if you are forced to stop breast-feeding," she said in an e-mail. "However, 1) none of these studies compare to continued breast-feeding, 2) you could also get these [nutrients] from other sources if you stop breast-feeding, and 3) there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other components in human milk that cannot be replaced."

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