Christine has told us of the newest ploy to seduce nurses and mothers into using Similac formula. Abbott Nutritionals has started a new marketing tactic calling their formula "Early Shield" as they tout the ingredients that include oligosaccharides. Oligosaccharides are biologically active carbohydrates. Over 100 have been identified in human milk. They prevent pathogens from binding to their receptors. Oligosaccharides in human milk contain human blood group antigens, with women from different blood groups exhibiting distinct patterns. They are a source of sialic acid which is an integral part of nerve cells in the brain. Formula-fed infants derive about 20% of sialic acid compared to what is available in human milk. Soy formulas do not have detectable levels of sialic acid.

The oligosaccharides in formula?are not human-derived oligosaccharides. They come from yeast. Consider informing your nurse manager at the next staff meeting about this. Participants in the childbirth classes should also be informed. Also if formula samples are being given out in the childbirth classes you might want to inform your risk management department about not being able to alert mothers to formula recalls because the lot numbers of the "gifts" were not recorded. If the formula is powdered, it is not sterile and places the hospital in a position of liability if the formula is contaminated. Check the resources at www.Banthebags.org for more ideas on how to rid your hospital of this nuisance.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA



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