α-Lactalbumin-rich infant formula fed to healthy term infants in a multicenter study: plasma essential amino acids and gastrointestinal tolerance

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 62; no. 11; pp. 1294 - 1301
• Main Authors: Davis, A.M, Harris, B.J, Lien, E.L, Pramuk, K, Trabulsi, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.11.2008; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Amino acids; Amino Acids, Essential - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Breast milk; Clinical Nutrition; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; Enriched foods; Epidemiology; essential amino acids; Feeding; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gastrointestinal system; Humans; Infant; Infant Formula - administration & dosage; Infant Formula - chemistry; Infant formulas; infant nutrition; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Infant, Newborn - blood; Infant, Newborn - growth & development; Infants; Internal Medicine; Lactalbumin; Lactalbumin - administration & dosage; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Methionine; Milk proteins; Milk, Human - chemistry; Nutritional aspects; Nutritional Requirements; original-article; Physiological aspects; postprandial state; Prospective Studies; protein content; protein requirement; Proteins; Public Health; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight Gain; United States; lactalbumin; infant formula; amino acids; protein composition; Human; α-lactalbumin; Multicenter study; Tolerance; Metabolic diseases; Infant; Gastrointestinal; Protein; Blood plasma; Aminoacid; Infant formula
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602848

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of an α-lactalbumin-enriched formula with a protein profile and total protein concentration closer to human milk (HM) and lower than conventional formulas. Subjects/methods: Two hundred and sixteen healthy, term infants, <or= 14 days post-natal age were enrolled and 166 (76.9%) completed the study. Timed post-prandial plasma essential amino-acid levels were determined after 8 weeks of ad libitum study feeding. Study events were assessed every 2 weeks. Results: At 8 weeks, all mean plasma essential amino-acid levels in the experimental formula (EF) group were as high as the standard formula (SF) and HM groups. The incidence of feeding-related gastrointestinal (GI) events varied significantly (P=0.025) across groups: SF (31.3%), EF (17.2%) and HM (13.6%), with SF being significantly higher than HM (P=0.015). Study withdrawals due to feeding-related GI events were significantly different (P=0.001) across groups: SF (12.5%), EF (4.7%), and HM (0%). The timing of GI events was also significantly different across groups (P=0.010). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that feeding a higher quality, lower protein concentration formula alpha-lactalbumin-enriched) met all essential amino acid and protein requirements of infants. The GI tolerance profile of infants receiving the EF was similar to HM-fed infants.