High Level of Food Toxins Found in Baby Formula

According to a study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, high levels of toxins that could increase a person’s chance of developing diabetes, called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), were found in baby formula and maternal blood transmission.

The high level of AGEs can significantly increase even at birth, and babies are most susceptible to the inflammation linked to insulin resistance and diabetes in the future (read more about childhood diabetes here. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, transports glucose from the blood to other cells to be utilized for energy. A deficiency in insulin leads to abnormalities in how carbohydrates, protein and fat are metabolized and glucose accumulates in the blood and overflows into the uterine.

Researchers, led by Helen Vlassara, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging, together with Jaime Uribarri, M.D., professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai, observed 60 women and their babies to look for a passive transfer of AGEs via the mother’s blood. Based on their first report published last December 2010 in the journal Diabetes Care, they discovered that babies, presumed to be AGE-free, already had AGEs in their blood, and at levels as high as their mother’s. This shows just how vulnerable infants are to the food toxins.

AGEs are toxic glucose by-products associated with blood sugar, which can be found in most heated food and in great amounts in infant formulas, according to the researchers from Mount Sinai.

During the children’s first year of life, after making the transition from breast milk to infant formula, the level of AGEs in the children doubled to levels as high as those in people with diabetes. According to the researchers, formula has 100 times more AGEs than breast milk.

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Said Dr. Vlassara, "Modern food AGEs can overwhelm the body's defenses, a worrisome fact especially for young children. More research is certainly needed, but the findings confirm our studies in genetic animal models of diabetes. Given the rise in the incidence of diabetes in children, safe and low cost AGE-less approaches to children's diet should be considered by clinicians and families."

A second study was performed, wherein a special diet with less processed, grilled and fried food showed the potential of increasing insulin resistance in adults with diabetes. These types of food are known to be packed with AGEs.

The 18 overweight subjects with type 2 diabetes under the AGE-restricted diet had a 35 percent decrease in blood insulin levels.

Notes Dr. Vlassara, "This clinical study begins to expose the double role food AGEs play in obesity and in diabetes, a major concern for everyone today, particularly young children. It is especially interesting that a simple intervention such as AGE-restriction or future drugs that block AGE absorption could have a positive effect on these epidemics. The tenets of the diet could not be simpler - turn down the heat, add water, and eat more at home."


Sources:
•    October 7, 2011. “Toxins from formula food found in babies” nvonews.com
•    October 6, 2011. Kathleen Blanchard RN. “High levels of food toxins found in infants that can lead to diabetes” emaxhealth.com
•    October 6, 2011. “Baby Formula: Inflammatory Food Toxins Found in High Levels in Infants” sciencedaily.com

Photo by nerissa’s ring via flickr creative commons