December 30th, 2010 → 12:09 pm @ Seth Mnookin // No Comments
In one of his responses to yesterday’s post on his Twitter feed, Jay Gordon writes:
Seth, only a very small percentage of formula used is not the “standard” variety. Hypoallergenic formula is almost always a last resort. Infant formula increases the incidence of many childhood illnesses and this Pediatrics story adds to that verified list.
I’m assuming this is true — I have no idea what the ratio of hypoallergenic to standard infant formula is, but I’m guessing it’s small — but it is also completely beside the point. My entire point, which Jay undoubtedly realizes, was that his tweet was not an accurate representation of the study he was citing. The fact that only a small percentage of formula used is not the “standard” variety does not change that — but it does confuse the issue.
Finally, Catherina makes an excellent point:
“The fact that new research indicates that some formulas appear to be healthier than others is wonderful news for those mothers.”
Seth, that is not what the research finds either. The researchers just report different patterns of weight gain and call for further (and longer term) observation. They did NOT conclude that one formula is healthier than the other, and, based on 6 months observation of 35 vs 29 infants, it would be scandalous if they had.
She’s absolutely correct, and I’ve edited my initial wording. Thanks for pointing that out.
Post Categories: Blog post
Tags: comments, Jay Gordon
