Is the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition generally favorable in its
attitude toward bf? Consider the following:

The American Journal of

CLINICAL NUTRITION

Volume 63 Number 4 April 1996



Infant formula, past and future: opportunities for improvement

Clifford W Lo and Ronald E Kleinman

Infant formulas provide nutritional support to healthy infants that
promotes growth and development equivalent to that in healthy infants fed
human milk. Formula-fed infants are not as well protected against
infections, and there remain infants whose health, growth, and development
may not be supported optimally by either the formulas currently available
or human milk. Some infants may be better supported by genetically
engineered formulas that contain immunity-enhancing antibodies or antigens.
Formulas that contain cytokines promoting epithelial cell growth and
integrity may be protective against necrotizing enterocolitis. Formulas
containing proteins with genetically excluded allergenic epitopes or
formulas with tolerogenic peptides may be useful in treating allergic
diseases or suppressing the development of autoimmune disorders later in
life. Formulas with genetically engineered biologically active substances
might increase the absorption of nutrients in infants with compromised
absorption or digestion, enhance host immunity and mucosal integrity, and,
potentially, militate or protect against the risk of disease. Am J Clin
Nutr 1996;63:646S-50S.

Key words: Genetic engineering, antibodies, cytokines, growth factors


The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998
Telephone (301) 530-7038 Fax (301) 571-8303
http://www.faseb.org/ajcn/
Send questions and comments to [log in to unmask]