PROTEIN NUTRITION, FECAL FLORA AND IRON-METABOLISM - THE ROLE OF MILK-BASED FORMULAS

This paper explores the role of milk-based formulae in achieving four aspects of nutritional health in infants and toddlers: in the suckling , to mimic the amino acid metabolism and the faecal flora of a breast- fed baby; in the weanling, to achieve adequate protein intakes in late r infancy and beyond and to achieve satisfactory haemoglobin concentra tions in the early toddler years. Milk-based formulae have two roles i n infant nutrition: as so-called breast milk substitutes and as a safe ty net during the weaning period; the latter role may be the more impo rtant.