Everybody needs to read this - Infant and Toddle Formula Supplemented with synthetic DHA/ARA poses severe health risks

[Guest guest]

Are you feeding your children synthetic oils without even knowing it? These synthetic additives are found in baby formula in both Canada and the US, and I am not sure what other countries use this additive. The synthetic additive is not only found in formula, but in other products as well, and to top it off some are labelled organic (yes that's right the FDA has allowed organic seal on products containing these synthetic oils). It is found in organic milk, regular and organic baby formula and other organic productsMy son was fed on Enfamil A+ formula supplemented with DHA and ARA. He had cradle cap until he was 3 years old when I started giving him OLE and GSE for other reasons. He had reflux and constipation at a very early age,  I just came across an article that says in addition to DHA which is extracted from algae (omega 3)  the baby formula is supplemented with ARA (omega 6). The ARA is derived from a fungus called  Mortierella alpina The extraction process uses hexane.  The company that produces it is called Martek Industries. http://www.lifesdha.com/Infants/About-ARA.aspx There are a number of complaints filed with the FDA regarding adverse reactions to formula supplemented with DHA and ARA. They include reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and there is a report called the Cornucopia Institute Report about the adverse effects from DHA and ARA supplemented formula. My son experienced constipation at a very early age and had reflux but at the time I never related it to the ARA and DHA in the formula I was feeding him.http://www.cornucopia.org/replacing-mother-infant-formula-report/ This site has a lot of info and is worth visiting.The Martek company has a response to this report in their FAQ section. The Cornucopia site has a list of organic products that contain the synthetic DHA, and links where you can complain about the synthetic additives being allowed in organic food. This has got to stop. We pay big dollars for organic food, and it turns out they are not entirely organic.Here is an article about what was happening with the FDA in 2010http://bliss-breastfeeding.blogspot.com/2010/05/usda-calls-for-removal-of-dhaara-from.htmlThis is an excerpt from the site but please visit the link about and read the entire article.What is the cause for concern?There are several causes for concern about the synthetic DHA and ARA added to formula and other foods and beverages.First, parents should be aware that even though their infant formula may be labeled “USDA organic,” the process by which these additives are made is about as far from natural as possible. Martek Biosciences Corporation, extracts the oils from fermented algae and fungus with the use of a synthetic solvent hexane, a neurotoxic chemical. It’s possible that hexane residues evaporate before the oils are consumed, but according to the Cornucopia Institute’s report, tests have shown that hexane residues do appear in some edible oils. We don’t know the effects of hexane on health, but organics experts feel that the process would cause the National Organics Standards Board to deny the inclusion of these synthetic fats on the list of allowable additives to organic foods. Fats produced in this way hardly sound like the sorts of things parents who are shopping organic want to feed their children.Second, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not affirmed the safety of the synthetic oils, noting that “ome studies have reported unexpected deaths among infants who consumed formula supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids … attributed to SIDS, sepsis or necrotizing enterocolitis. Also, some studies have reported adverse events and other morbidities including diarrhea, flatulence, jaundice, and apnea in infants fed long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.”Unlike the natural DHA and ARA in breast milk, many infants are unable to digest the synthetic oils. The FDA has received what NABA Executive Director Marsha calls “scores of reports on the adverse effects of these ingredients,” in which infants experience gastrointestinal symptoms ranging in severity from vomiting and diarrhea that cleared up when the baby switched to a non-DHA/ARA formula to severe dehydration and seizures that required hospitalization. Still, infant formula manufacturers have resisted calls for the addition of “warning labels” to product packages. As a result, parents cannot make informed decisions about the risks of DHA/ARA formula relative to other feeding options, and they often don’t know that their children’s health problems can be solved by switching to a formula without these additives.