Artificial milks: when are they indicated?
The artificial milks, also called "formulated", are made from cow's milk, which is deeply modified to make it suitable for the needs of the newborn. As it is, in fact, cow's milk cannot be considered suitable for the feeding of the infant.
The choice of artificial milk is always and exclusively up to the pediatrician; the mother cannot and absolutely must not choose it according to her own preferences, as happens during a normal supermarket shopping. Among the artificial milks on the market there may in fact be small differences in composition that make one product more suitable than another.
The composition of artificial milks must in any case correspond to the dictates of ESPGAM, an International Control Body made up of doctors (paediatricians, gastroenterologists, allergists, etc.) who study the food needs of the child, based on correct development and prevention of problems future (allergies, food preferences - important in the prevention of obesity, diabetes and other diseases - etc.).
ESPGAM provides optimal concentration ranges for each nutrient which, after becoming the subject of an EEC regulation implemented by member states, obliges baby food manufacturers to comply with these indications.
For the maximum protection of the newborn, the rules and controls on artificial milks are particularly severe.
To assess the growth of a newborn pediatricians are based on anthropometric measures. Weight, age, head circumference, length, skin fold of the arm and its circumference are the most commonly detected parameters.
These data are then compared with particular graphs, where specific growth curves are reported (different in the two sexes). The evaluation of the results is important both if the child is fed with breast milk, and if his diet is based exclusively on the artificial one.
Cases where breastfeeding is not possible
Having ascertained that breast milk is the first and irreplaceable food for the newborn, there are some very specific situations in which it is not possible to breastfeed. One of the most common is the proven inability to breastfeed due to lack of milk or disease (a condition that occurs in 2% of mothers); in fortunately rarer cases there are strong contraindications to breastfeeding, such as in the presence of serious diseases (eg HIV, tuberculosis), drug use, malnutrition, use of special drugs that can pass into milk or debilitating cures of various kinds .
Types of artificial milk intended for healthy children
Based on the age at which they are intended, they differ in:
Adapted milk or starting milk : more digestible and rich in serum proteins, it has a composition very similar to that of breast milk, it is enriched with lactose, oligosaccharides, fats of predominantly vegetable origin, vitamins and mineral salts. It is currently the most used milk from birth until the 4th - 5th month of life.
It is termed infant or starting milk (marked with the number 1).
Partially adapted milk or follow-on milk : it is different for a lower lactose content, partly replaced by glucose and sucrose and for a different protein content. Compared to the previous one it has a composition closer to that of cow's milk, especially as regards proteins and lipids. However, it is richer in iron.
It is called follow-on milk (distinguished by the number 2) and is suitable for infants aged 6 to 12 months.
Growth milks, are administered from 12 months onwards. Even if they are not real infant formula, they are always part of diet products. They are in fact made up of normal cow's milk, simply added with vitamins and mineral salts. From the first year of life onwards, the child can in fact consume cow's milk, because its digestive system has reached an adequate stage of development.
If for adapted and partially adapted milks there are strict regulations, as well as well-defined limits of concentration for each individual nutrient, for growth milks there is greater freedom in the formulation of the product.
Liquid or powdered artificial milks are available on the market; while the former guarantee greater practicality (even if they are consumed quickly after opening), the latter occupy a smaller space (but require more preparation time). However, there are no significant differences in the qualitative quantitative composition of nutrients, which we have seen to be established by strict international regulations.
| "Minerals and vitamins in breast milk |  | Artificial milk composition " |
