I think we have to be very careful about accepting press releases from a
corporation about the benefits of its products.  Has anyone read this study?
Has it been published?

This particular company has much to gain, if everyone accepts that
supplementation of breastfeeding mothers is a necessity.  Not only will they
have the infant formula market (they provide the DHA and AA for formula made
in Europe and Asia) but they will have the breastfeeding market, too.
Actually they win what ever way it goes.  If women believe that their
breastmilk is not good enough, then they'll buy infant formula that provides
that ingredient that they are lacking.  Or if they breastfeed, they will buy
the supplements because we all just know that breastmilk could not be good
enough.  Only the addition of a man-made product will make it good enough.
Yes, that's sarcasm.

If you believe Baylor College of Medicine (where the study was done) is a
bastion of unbiased studies, you may have to rethink that idea.  The infant
formula industry has heavy investments in that college.  Some researchers at
Baylor have patents on human milk components and the human lactoferrin
industry is partnered with Baylor-Agennix.

I believe Martek is just developing a market for its products--genetically
engineered (they have 13 patents in the US patent office on their oils and
the patents are about genetically engineering the oils).   Should we readily
accept the thought that breastmilk is not good enough by a corporation that
will make a profit on that belief?  I think not....Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html