I wish that when we discuss the microbial oils made to produce DHA and AA,
we would use the adjective "novel."  Novel is a word that describes these oils
rather well--new, never before eaten by humans, may include the use of genetic
engineering.  This is a fermentation process and it' s not about picking some
fungi in the forest or netting some algae out of the sea.  Extraction is done
by hexane.  They are novel oils--the FDA's own words.  They are GRAS because
GRAS means that the FDA has no questions.  GRAS means the FDA accepted the
industry's studies and conclusions until proven wrong--meaning until it is proven
that these ingredients have harmed infants.

The NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Development) funded studies
done on DHA.  They funded the Birch et al studies (Retina Foundation of
Southwest Texas).  I have previously quoted the NICHD's belief that it might be
possible to make an infant formula better than human milk.  We'all may have
thought that the Healthy People 2000 Project was about increasing breastfeeding
rates.  My impression is that the funding of this project in regard to infant
feeding went to studying human milk components in order to make a formula
bettter than human milk.

At least one of Birch et al study's on DHA (Developmental Medicine & Child
Neurology 2000, 42: 174-181 called "A randomized controlled trial of early
dietary supply of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and mental development in
term infants") had supplemental funding from Mead Johnson.  One might presume
that their might be some biases because of this funding.

The research on the safety and the efficacy of these "novel" ingredients has
been placed in the very hands of the industry that will profit from its
inclusion.  If questions about safety are placed in this industry's hands, will the
real risks be acknowledged.
Why are we accepting of this arrangement?

In Florida the Medicaid program is being saved financially by Pfizer but also
from some other drug companies--one is Bristol Myers Squibb (Mead Johnson).
As State governments have lost funding from the Federal government, they are
more and more relying on corporate funding.  I find myself hard-pressed to
believe that this meshing of state and corporate interests will be beneficial in
promoting breastfeeding.  I was a political science major in college.  My
understanding is that when corporate interests and governments are meshed, it is
called a fascist state.  We should be  concerned about this trend in government
because I do believe breastfeeding has been, is and will be sabotaged by it.
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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