NABA's Spring 2002 newsletter contains an article written about this  
worldwide study on preventing diabetes. The protocol for the study is  frightening. 
It involves the randomized weaning of breastfed infants susceptible  to 
diabetes to a either a cow's milk based formula or Nutramigen, a hydrolyzed  formula 
which is hypoallergenic, not non-allergenic. This formula still contains  
cow's milk protein. Parents will not be informed as to which formula their  infant 
is being weaned to, the one with low potential for triggering diabetes or  
the one with high potential. Mead Johnson is a sponsor of this study. I  looked 
at the purely financial aspect of Mead Johnson's investment in this  study. 
Nutramigen is very expensive. In Massachusetts a 32oz can of  ready-to-feed 
costs $7, a 16oz can of the powdered form costs $20. If the study  babies are 
breastfed 3 months and weaned to Nutramigen for the next 7 months and  if parents 
had to pay for the formula, families would spend about $1400 for the  
ready-to-feed and $1120 for the powdered form. Compare this to standard formula  at 
$4.99 for the liquid and $12.89 for the powdered and depending where in the  USA 
you live, parents will be paying up to 60% more for this product. What a  
windfall for Mead Johnson if they can convince parents to breastfeed for a  
minimal amount of time and switch to their expensive formula.
 
Looks to me like this $50 million study will be a giant marketing forum for  
Nutramigen. The problem with the protocol also involves what parents are not  
told about using this formula. Hydrolyzed formulas can cause loose watery 
stools  and nutrient loss, reduced growth, altered metabolic parameters, with high 
 molecular weight corn proteins still present in this formula possibly  
contributing to corn allergy, Nutramigen tastes terrible. Will the babies weaned  
to this after a certain age even accept it? The AAP's 1994 work group on  
diabetes and cow's milk protein recommended that genetically susceptible infants  
not be given intact cow's milk protein, yet it appears that one group of these  
study babies will be given exactly that.
 
I have been cautioning health care providers to consider recommending  
against encouraging parents to sign up for this study. How it was approved  raises 
many questions in my mind. Too bad the $50 couldn't be used to support  
breastfeeding which would considerably reduce the risk for diabetes in the first  
place.
 
Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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