Softer Stools
INFAT® may reduce percentage of infants with hard stools
About stools and comfort
An infant's stool can give an insight into its comfort and wellbeing. While a healthy, breastfed baby's stool is typically frequent, with a very runny consistency,
a formula fed baby's stool is usually less frequent and more solid. Stool hardness can lead to pain and discomfort, and even to constipation.
How does it work?
Infant formulas with Infant formulas with INFAT® are closer to mother's milk due to their high sn2 palmitate fat structure, and clinical tests in infants suggest that INFAT ingestion is linked to better fat absorption and softer stools as compared to infants ingesting control formulas with low sn2 palmitate.
Experts suggest that during the digestion process of the fat components in the intestine, palmitic acid that is not bound at the 2nd position and is released during digestion, tends to bind with calcium, and create calcium salts that are not well-absorbed. This impacts the infant's wellbeing in many ways: it can reduce absorption of fat needed for energy; it can lead to loss of calcium needed for healthy growth; and the calcium
salts can cause harder stools, leading to discomfort.
A double blind randomized controlled study showed that infant fed with INFAT® containing formula for 12 weeks after birth reduced the number of infants with hard stools.
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, the closest substitute is important for an infant's comfort, health and development.
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. Triglycerides in human milk are special as the fatty acids are bonded in a unique order which cannot be found in other types of oils. One major fatty acid in human milk, palmitic acid, is mainly (70-75% of it) located at the 2nd position. This typical structure, called sn2 palmitate, is responsible for some of the superiority of human milk.
INFAT® is a fat ingredient structured with high level of palmitic in the mid position, similar to the structure of human milk fat. Infant formulas containing INFAT® promote proper digestion, and may lead to softer stools and less crying– altogether more comfort for the baby.
** Closer to breastfed infants
