Bone Strength
INFAT® has a beneficial role in bone development
during early life
Nutrition affects bone development
Bones form the framework for a child’s growing body. The newborn infant is born with bones that are either made entirely or partially of cartilage. As the baby grows, the cartilage is slowly replaced by bone. Researchers have made significant efforts to determine the factors that influence bone mineral build up in healthy children as it is widely believed that osteoporosis originates in childhood. They found that the absorption of nutrients, such as minerals, fats, carbohydrates and proteins, is tremendously important for normal infant growth and development and may contribute to early bone mineral buildup. This means that providing optimal nutrition during childhood may be essential to reaching the highest possible peak bone mass.
INFAT® benefits bone strength parameters
Studies show that INFAT®-containing infant formulas support fat and calcium absorption in infants. The absorption of nutrients is important for healthy growth and development, and may contribute to early bone mineral accretion.
A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical study carried out to compare the benefits of infant formula containing INFAT® with a standard formula and with breastmilk reported on the formulas’ effects on infant's bone strength. It was demonstrated that term newborns fed with infant formula containing INFAT® for 12 weeks had a significantly higher bone speed of sound (SOS)* than that of newborns fed with standard infant formula. The bone SOS was comparable to that of breastfed babies.
INFAT® has a special fat structure, close to that of human milk
Human milk is the optimal choice for infants, but when breastfeeding is not practical, an infant formula that is close to breast milk can help a baby sleep properly. In human breast milk and in most infant formulas, the fat, primarily triglycerides, provides about 50% of the calories that are needed for healthy growth. Human milk contains a unique structure that is very scarce in vegetable oil. One of the major fatty acids in human milk, named palmitic acid, is mainly (70-75%) located at the sn2 position on the triglyceride. INFAT® is a sn2 palmitate fat ingredient which structure and benefits are closer to that found in human milk fat.
*Speed of Sound (SOS)
Speed of Sound (SOS), is a safe and popular parameter for measuring bone strength in infants. SOS, a non- invasive method, reflects mineral density, cortical thickness, elasticity and micro-architecture of the bone. Thus, it provides a more complete picture of bone strength compared to other known measurements of bone strength.
** Closer to breastfed infants
