The following website leaves me with the impression that Mead Johnson was
first established as a vitamin company.  Since I didn't know this little history,
thought that maybe others would also appreciate it.

http://www.babybottle-museum.co.uk/Baby%20food%20adverts.htm

"Enfamil, by Mead Johnson, was a late comer in 1959, but the company,
established in 1905, pioneered vitamin research in the 1920's with the first cod
liver oil of standardized potency in 1924 and pure solution of Vitamin D in 1929.
In 1934, Pablum was introduced as the first precooked vitamin and mineral
enriched cereal for infants. That began a fruitful collaboration between E. Mead
Johnson and Dr. T. Drake of Toronto. Both men later began extensive and
world-famous collections related to the history of infant feeding."

Hector F. DeLuca from UW-Madison has done alot of work on the molecular
function of vitamins A and D and he has some 63 active US patents and some of his
patenting on vitamin D looks to me like genetic engineering is used to create
the synthetic vitamin D.  DeLuca's patents are the top producers of royalities
for UW-Madison.  Dr. Harry Steenbock some 75 years ago at UW-Madison
discovered that vitamin D could be produced in milk by unltraviolet radiation.
Steenbock helped establish the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).  This
organization is a "vehicle" in which research at the university level is
transfered to the marketplace.  "WARF acts as the exclusive patent-management
organization for UW-Madison."  Interestingly, this patenting has generated more than
$450 million to this particular University.  One of the patents on  using
bifidobacteria derived from a breastfed baby's feces (the organism was cloned) and
states that the preferred beverage is Nestle Good Start had WARF as the
assignee.  patent # 5922375-http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html

WARF
http://www.cals.wisc.edu/wfsp/no-9/9-1a.html

DeLuca
http://www.biochem.wisc.edu/deluca/

I read about an interesting case of infant rickets described at Dr. Mercola's
website.  The physicians involved in this case determined that the rickets
were caused by over-the-counter use of an antacid.  His parents were adding the
antacid to the infant's soy-based formula to stop colic.  This is described in
the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine December 1998.    Mercola's
article states, "The researchers explain that the aluminum in some antacids
binds with intestinal phosphates."  Phosphate depletion occurs.  Dr. Mercola
adds that soy formulas has "1000% more aluminum than milk based formulas.
http://www,mercola.com/1999/archiv/anatacid_use.htm

Although the studies we are interested in are about the rise of "exclusive
breastfed" infants getting rickets, I do believe "exclusivity" must be
questioned.  Exclusivity means different things to different people.  Research on
infant feeding, has to define exclusivity for a clear understanding of the problem.
 Especially considering that this kind of research impacts whether mothers
supplement their infant with a vitamin further impacting exclusivity. When I had
a private practice, it seemed that alot of breastfeeding mothers used soy
infant formulas because they believed it lessoned the risk of allergies.  So this
morning I was just thinking that maybe the rise of rickets has more to the do
with the rise in the use of soy infant formulas.

I do question the safety of using a vit D supplement only with infants.
Precautions are given to adults about the use of vit D only, because of concerns
about overdoses.  One would think one would have to be even more careful in
regard to infants.  Vitamin supplements given to the "exclusive" breastfed infant
should be studied. This rather simple solution may impact the protective
benefits of exclusivity.
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC







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