I received a few emails asking if I wouldn't mind sharing the email I sent out today to various newspapers and media productions regarding the problems surrounding Lipil. Here's the jist of what I sent: Dear --, I am writing to express concern over the misleading of new parents by hospital workers regarding the use of Enfamil's "new" formula, Lipil. I am a volunteer breastfeeding peer counselor, and have heard on numerous occassions since the formula's release, false and erroneous information about its safety and contents. I have had moms tell me that their Pediatrician/nurse at the hospital told them that Lipil was the formula "with breastmilk in it." The facts are quite contrary to this belief, as, according to Marsh Walker RN, IBCLC, "...the fatty acids in this new formula are nothing like what is in breast milk and pose a number of known and unknown risks to the infants who consume them. The DHA contained in Lipil is extracted from fermented microalgae and the ARA is extracted from soil fungus. The breast does not use either of these items to manufacture its fatty acids, and these sources are new to the food chain. Each of the processed oils has its own fatty acid composition, adding a number of fatty acids to formula that already are contained in the plant oils mixed into the base formula. Human fatty acids are structurally different from manufactured ones from plant sources. Human fatty acids interact with each other in a special matrix. Just because they perform as they do in human milk does not mean they will perform at all in an artificial construct. One study has started to question if the large fat supplementation of formula iscontributing to the obesity epidemic (Massiera F. Arachidonic acid and prostacyclin signaling promote adipose tissue development: a human health concern. J Lipid Research 2002; published on line ahead of print November 4, 2002." "Formula salesmen have walked onto hospital maternity units and removed all of the standard formula, lying that it is no longer being produced. This formula is more expensive than regular formula so the companies have profited greatly by making sure that the lower priced formula is not made available. How many more babies have to be made sick in order for the health care system and government regulatory agencies to pay attention to something put on the market to make money. The only thing these additives do is help a company capture a larger share of the formula market." Our health care professionals are being mislead, who are in turn misleading parents. Marsha Walker adds that as a result, "NABA has received many, many reports of babies being fed Lipil and experiencing watery, explosive diarrhea. This needs to be reported to the manufacturer and the FDA as a side effect or adverse event of this formula. This is so similar to the selling of Olestra (the stuff in potato chips that prevents a person from absorbing the fat which caused painful cramping and diarrhea in many adults) that it is a scary comparison. We do not know if babies lose fat, fat soluble vitamins or any other nutrients through the stool when they consume this formula. As a matter of fact, we know very little about this formula." Please help by informing the community of this. I can help you find contact information for quotes and facts that you might need from the many reputable Physicians, Lactation Consultants and Nurses who participate in an on-line forum called Lactnet, where this information is being discussed by approximately 2000 lactation educators and professionals. Sincerely, Megan Allen *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] 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