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Tolerance of formulas containing prebiotics in healthy, term infants

Timberly Williams1, Yong Choe, Pamela Price

  • 1Abbott Nutrition, Columbus, OH.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|July 26, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Infant formula with 4 g galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)/L showed good gastrointestinal tolerance, similar to human milk, in healthy newborns. Formula with 8 g GOS/L resulted in more watery stools compared to control formula.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Infant gastrointestinal tolerance is crucial for proper development.
  • Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics that may influence infant gut health.
  • Understanding the impact of different GOS levels in infant formula is important for optimizing infant nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the gastrointestinal tolerance of infant formulas with two different levels of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) against a control formula (CF) and human milk.
  • To evaluate the effects of GOS supplementation on stool consistency and other tolerance markers in healthy term infants.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, randomized, multicenter study involving 180 healthy, full-term infants.
  • Infants were fed formula with 4 g GOS/L (EF4), 8 g GOS/L (EF8), or a control formula (CF) until 119 days of life.
  • Stool consistency was assessed daily using a 5-point scale, and other tolerance parameters were recorded.

Main Results:

  • The control formula group exhibited higher mean stool consistency scores compared to EF8 and human milk groups throughout the study.
  • A higher percentage of watery stools was observed in the EF8 group versus the CF group during the first 14 days of life.
  • The human milk group showed a significantly lower percentage of feedings with spit-up or vomiting compared to EF8 and CF groups.

Conclusions:

  • Milk-based term infant formula supplemented with 4 g GOS/L demonstrated good gastrointestinal tolerance in newborns.
  • Stool consistency and other tolerance measures were favorable in infants fed formula with 4 g GOS/L.
  • Further research may be needed to fully elucidate the effects of higher GOS concentrations on infant tolerance.
Abstract

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