Baby Formula: when we cannot use Mom's, what is best?
New research outlines its uber ingredients
Breast Milk does shed vax proteins, dumping them into the infant. There no longer is any doubt.
And now there is clear evidence that vaccine shedding could be harmful to the infant. Birth during the pandemic, but not in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, was associated with differences in neurodevelopment at age 6 months. Compared with the historical cohort, infants born during the pandemic had lower scores on gross motor, fine motor, and personal-social subdomains.
So what can a mother do to reduce the harm to her babies?
Potential Pureblood Enterprises Part 3: Ethical Dilemmas
I wrote about potential Pureblood Enterprises in Part I and Part 2 of this series. There, I define the concept of the ‘Pureblood’ and how unvaccinated status can add a premium aspect to a service and/or desired biological product. But do we re…
If donor milk from the unvax’d cannot be obtained, then formula must do. How then can we replicate Mom’s good stuff?
What is in Mother’s Milk ?
This study identifies the GLA–RXR axis as a key transcriptional regulatory mechanism underlying the maternal control of perinatal cardiac metabolism. In a mouse model, the lab determined that the absence of RXR in the heart, or the lack of GLA in maternal milk, prevented heart mitochondria in newborn mice from producing the right amount and form of energy, leading to severe heart failure and death 24 to 48 hours after birth.
Birth presents a metabolic challenge to cardiomyocytes as they reshape fuel preference from glucose to fatty acids for postnatal energy production. This adaptation is triggered in part by post-partum environmental changes, but the molecules orchestrating cardiomyocyte maturation remain unknown. Here we show that this transition is coordinated by maternally supplied γ-linolenic acid (GLA), an 18:3 omega-6 fatty acid enriched in the maternal milk. GLA binds and activates retinoid X receptors (RXRs), ligand-regulated transcription factors that are expressed in cardiomyocytes from embryonic stages. Multifaceted genome-wide analysis revealed that the lack of RXR in embryonic cardiomyocytes caused an aberrant chromatin landscape that prevented the induction of an RXR-dependent gene expression signature controlling mitochondrial fatty acid homeostasis. The ensuing defective metabolic transition featured blunted mitochondrial lipid-derived energy production and enhanced glucose consumption, leading to perinatal cardiac dysfunction and death. Finally, GLA supplementation induced RXR-dependent expression of the mitochondrial fatty acid homeostasis signature in cardiomyocytes, both in vitro and in vivo. - A Paredes, et al.
I reported the importance of maternal transmission of her own microbiome to her offspring in my earlier post: Neonatal Microbiome: Vaginal vs C-Section Delivery . A new study shows that specific proteins in breast milk can influence the abundance of gut microbes in infants that are associated with immunity regulation.
Methods: Twenty-three mothers and their infants were enrolled and breast milk samples and infant fecal samples were collected. Breast milk protein content was determined by UPLC-MS/MS, and 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to analyze the gut microbiota of infant. Results: The results indicated that the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in breast milk was positively correlated with the abundance of Veillonella parvula. The κ-casein content was positively correlated with the abundance of Clostridium butyricum. The osteopontin (OPN) and lactalbumin contents were positively correlated with the abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis at 42 days. Functional pathway analysis showed that the OPN and κ-casein contents in breast milk were significantly correlated with amino acid, pyruvate, propionic acid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid metabolic pathways in early life. - M Xi, et al.
Ether lipids are present in significantly higher concentrations in breastmilk compared to formula and other animal- and plant-based milks. There are major differences in the lipid composition of breastmilk, infant formula, and other animal/plant-based milks, and that ether lipids were typically 10 times more abundant in breastmilk than in formula. The breast milk lipidome impacts infant circulating lipids; ether lipids ~ 19-times higher in breastfed infants when compared to formula-fed infants at 6 months of age.
What about premature babies? Researchers found that prematurely born infants can be supplemented with cow colostrum instead of baby formula products. Studies on 350 infants in China show that cows colostrum can reduce the use of infant formula at first feeding of premies; another study with 232 Danish infants shows that it can enhance later breast milk feedings. Factors in the colostrum control the bacterial population so that the intestines are protected from developing inflammation. Apparently, cow’s secretions can work when Moms cannot provide.
But has anyone pulled all this info together into a baby formula formulation? A recent clinical trial tested babies for longterm outcome up to 5 years of age, after receiving milk fat globule membrane (MFGM)—a complex layer that normally surrounds fat in milk. [a membrane containing important nutrients, including proteins, sugars and lipids.]
Objective To evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 5.5 years of age in children who were previously randomized to cow milk–based infant formula (control) or similar formula (milk fat globule membrane + lactoferrin) with added sources of bovine milk fat globule membrane and bovine lactoferrin through 12 months of age. Design Children who completed study feeding were invited to participate in follow-up assessments: cognitive development across multiple domains (primary outcome; Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence, 4 th Edition), inhibitory control/rule learning (Stroop Task), flexibility/rule learning (Dimensional Change Card Sort), and behavior/emotion (Child Behavior Checklist). Results Of 292 eligible participants (control: 148, milk fat globule membrane + lactoferrin: 144), 116 enrolled and completed assessments (control: 59, milk fat globule membrane + LF: 57). There were no group demographic differences except family income (milk fat globule membrane + lactoferrin significantly higher). Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence, 4th Edition composite scores (mean standard error) for Visual Spatial (100.6 1.7 vs 95.3 1.7; P = .027), Processing Speed (107.1 1.4 vs 100.0 1.4; P < .001), and Full-Scale IQ (98.7 1.4 vs 93.5 1.5; P = .012) were significantly higher for milk fat globule membrane + lactoferrin versus control, even after controlling for demographic/ socioeconomic factors. Stroop Task scores were significantly higher in milk fat globule membrane + lactoferrin versus control (P < .001). Higher Dimensional Change Card Sort scores (P = .013) in the border phase (most complex/challenging) were detected, and more children passed the border phase (32% vs 12%; P = .039) for milk fat globule membrane versus control. No group differences in Child Behavior Checklist score were detected. Conclusions Children who received infant formula to 12 months of age with added bovine milk fat globule membrane and bovine lactoferrin versus standard formula demonstrated improved cognitive outcomes in multiple domains at 5.5 years of age, including measures of intelligence and executive function. - J Colombo, et al.
Seems, we actually can provide a good substitute to feed to baby if Mom is shedding harmful vaccine components.
No need to separate, and the bonding process can proceed.
REFERENCES
New Lancet study confirms mRNA from COVID shots are found in breast milk. Fri Sep 22, 2023 https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-lancet-study-confirms-mrna-from-covid-shots-are-found-in-breast-milk/
LC Shuffrey, et al. Association of birth during the COVID-19 pandemic with neurodevelopmental status at 6 months in infants with and without in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176(6):e215563. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5563.
A Paredes, et al. γ-Linolenic acid in maternal milk drives cardiac metabolic maturation, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06068-7. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06068-7
M Xi, et al. Functional proteins in breast milk and their correlation with the development of the infant gut microbiota: A study of mother-infant pairs, Frontiers in Microbiology (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1239501
A George, et al. Defining the lipid profiles of human milk, infant formula, and animal milk: implications for infant feeding, Frontiers in Nutrition (2023). www.frontiersin.org/articles/1 … ut.2023.1227340/full
X Yan, et al. Bovine colostrum to supplement the first feeding of very preterm infants: The PreColos randomized controlled trial, Clinical Nutrition (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.06.024
A M Ahnfeldt, et al. Bovine colostrum as a fortifier to human milk in very preterm infants—A randomized controlled trial (FortiColos), Clinical Nutrition (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.03.008
J Colombo, et al. Improved Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 5.5 Years of Age in Children Who Received Bovine Milk Fat Globule Membrane and Lactoferrin in Infant Formula Through 12 Months: A Randomized Controlled Trial, The Journal of Pediatrics (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113483
The hipp/holle brand in german formulation is the best option I could find. It is unpasteurized. They make cow or goat. It's technically not allowed in USA but there are sources online to get it delivered from Europe.
Microbial colonization programs are structured by breastfeeding and guide healthy respiratory development, Cell (2024).
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.022. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00782-7