Whats the difference between formula now, and formula 40 yeras ago?

[flubdub]

Whats in it/not in it now that was/wasnt then?

from what i understand, the basic formulation ie how to get cow's milk into a more digestible form for babies. has not really changed much between now and then.

it is made into semi skimmed milk first, then remove some or most of the casein protein leaving the more easily digestible whey protein behind. then they add vegetable oils, vitamins and iron to coincide more with the proportions that humans rather than calves need.

what has changed are the 'novel' ingredients that have not had reviews and research from scientific sources outside the company which produces the stuff. so the LCP's, probiotics and 'immunofortis' that the product labels and advertising bang on about have not shown their effectiveness in non-biased scientific research.

I'm 44 and was fed on National Dried Milk which was the 'formula' of the time. I think we were also given condensed milk.

National Dried milk was basically dried full cream milk with a couple of vitamins added.

Someone is selling a tin on Ebay lol. My dad still has tins like this in his shed that he keeps his nails and screws in.

My mum was premature and only 2lb 2oz at birth in 1929 and she was literally wrapped in cotton wool and fed on condensed milk. My nan was fighting for her life with pre-eclampsia. Nan is now 97 Mum is 79!

jeanjeannie

flub, this would be a good question to ask the formula manufacturers helplines about.

kkdmom - I think all formula has been based on skimmed milk, that is, with all the fat removed. Fat is then replaced in the form of vegetable or beef fats, and fat-soluble vitamins go in as supplements. The change from casein-dominant to whey-dominant happened about 40 years ago (I think) - this is my understanding because I ask people what their memories are, and because I have a geeky collection of leaflets and pamphlets that go back decades. The 'new' formula was called 'modified'; casein-dominant formula remained on the market and indeed is still here (marketed as 'milk for hungrier babies').

You're right about the other additions, in the form of 'novel' ingredients. There are reviews of these ingredients, though, published in journals, and I don't think it is quite right to say there has been no research outside the company that produces the ingredients. What I think is lacking is long term research, to follow these babies as they grow into children, and of course decent solid evidence that the health claims they make are justifiable.

The way um folk go on (not on here particularly) Ud think it was filled with arsenic, rat poison, vodka and ecsasy

Ooh have a had a wee beverage can u tell LOL Wasnt meant menacingly BTW just sarcy!!!!

youngbutnotdumb - where have you heard people saying things to make you think that? Mostly, I would say people don't know what formula actually is, let alone think it's poison!!

youngbutnotdumb - tiktoks is right. a lot of ff-ers (me included) dont know whats in it.

Iv never heard anybody say anything about formula ANYWHERE NEAR what people would say about ecstasy.

I think formula is poison.....

It's a poisonous way of extracting loads of money out of mothers!

Have you seen this thread?

I had absolutely no idea that formula was made from cows milk

CT, what did you think it was made from?

It's marketed in such a way that it seems like it's made from something "magic" and ethereal, almost, sometimes, I think.

What did you think it was made of??

Squirrels tears?

Bats milk?

That there are loads of women in a factory somewhere strapped up to milking machines?

My mum couldn't breastfeed my brother (tongue-tied, no op or support in those days) so he was given formula milk which made him sick every time (not possett but real vomiting)

Dr's advice was diluted evaporated milk which he kept down. Apart from the lifelong asthma/hayfever/eczema he's fine at almost 40.

Don't really know what point if any I'm making here tbh

CT, don't worry. Until a couple of years ago my mum though SMA was derived from soya milk.

Poohbah, not a very helpful comment.

Mercy - have you no sense of humour???

I think your comment really informs us that there is probably no difference between formula and evaporated milk.

Probably not PB.

But then I was formula fed from a similar age to my younger db (also badly tongue-tied but no reaction to formula) and I don't have hayfever etc.

I know someone brought up on evaporated milk and she's ok and also a guy brought up on cows milk, he's okay too. Humans are born to survive but in my opinion mummymilk is there to nourish the soul!

now now you two!

salt used to be added to the fomula until the 70's.
SMA brought out some new type of formula and had a group of guniea pigs to try it out on. had a rise in kidney problems in little piggys. ( not real pigs, but human babies)

formula is still cows milk, but things are changing , without testing all the time.

things are removed and added , sometimes for fashion , perciveved fear, or the result of medical evidance of risk.

so, over the years , there has been removed salt,( kindey failure in overfed infants) beef oils,(mad cow diesease) peanut oils( rise in peanut allergy) etc

and replacements like soya oils (soya milk is now not given as a milk replacement as the norm./ re link to allergy/asthma)

on the good front, new allergy milks have given a good substitute for allergic infants.
which is good, as there are some allergic infants that cant have breast milk or cows milk.

some recipes can be made up in hosptials for individual infants.

formula was invented to save lives, it still does.

bad news is still, in my view, the ongoing changing and testing on each generation of infants.

there have been no conclusive study results on omega oils.................and from an allergy front as most omega oils are derived from fish, how is that going to change our childrens allergies? will we get a rise in fish alleriges?

pro-bitoics does have some promising results, however seem to be only short term , and of more beinift during first months , but of little use after say 3 months. perhaps should be considered for newborns , however, as this is experimental who can say if this is entirely safe in conjunction with all other products listed in formula?

if we look at our long term health, for instance the rise of breast cancer, with the linked drop in breast feeding,
we can see the effects that have started to show in our ongoing formula generations.

I think that its our adult health that may be more effected by our poor infant and early years diet, and by that time as parents we wont see the connection or result.

I certainly dont think that formula is bad.........it is misused. certainly it should have more stricter controls on its ingredieants and its testing on infants.

breast is good, breast milk banks would be a very good idea, wide spread, for all infants who need hospital care.

breast milk /feeding should be accepted, along with formula.

Good post williamsmummy.

There's very strong evidence that nutrition and growth in early life affect disease risk in later life, and that this is important for a range of diseases.

Formula companies, of course, don't want us to know this, and while they make huge claims for how good their milk is for babies, they're very, very quiet about what might happen over a lifetime.

It's quite possible that as the first mainly artificially-fed generations start to age, we'll start to see major effects on their health.

Obviously many of these people who were fed formula or condensed milk or whatever will be absolutely fine and healthy all their lives - you wouldn't expect everyone to be affected - but there's good reason to worry that not everyone will be so lucky.

Only time will tell.