Eighteen-month follow-up of infants fed evaporated milk formula.

In parts of Canada including Newfoundland and Labrador and among Aboriginal peoples, infants still consume evaporated milk (EM) formulas for cultural and economic reasons. At 3 and 6 months, full-term infants fed EM (n = 30) received low intakes of iron, thiamine, selenium and had higher weight velocity than breastfed (BF, n = 29) infants. EM infants had greater anemia, lowered transketolase activity (thiamine) and lowered glutathione peroxidase (selenium) activity (p < 0.05). To determine the later effect of early feeding deficit on nutritional status, we examined these same infants at 18 months of age. At that time, there were no differences in dietary intakes of energy, protein, zinc, copper, selenium and iron, nor in plasma levels of zinc, copper, vitamin C, nor in red blood cell activity levels of glutathione reductase (riboflavin), transketolase, glutathione peroxidase, nor in superoxide dismutase. However, EM infants weighed more and were more likely to visit a physician, have anemia, and have iron depletion than were BF infants. We conclude that infants consuming evaporated milk formulas should receive iron supplements throughout infancy.

Evaluation of full-term infants fed an evaporated milk formula.

The objective of this prospective, cohort study was to compare the nutritional status of full-term infants who were fed human milk (BF, n = 29), formula (FF, n = 30) or evaporated milk formulae (EM, n = 30) for at least 3 months. Infants were seen at enrollment, 3 and 6 months, at which times a blood sample, diet record and anthropometric data were collected. Infants in the EM group received solids earlier (12 +/- 5 weeks) than did FF infants (15 +/- 4 weeks), and both were earlier than BF infants (19 +/- 4 weeks). Only 26% of the EM fed group received iron supplements as ferrous sulphate drops. Seven BF, 12 FF and 20 EM had abnormal ferritin values (< 10 ng ml-1) at 6 months. Copper intake was lower in the EM infants at 3 and 6 months. However, plasma copper and erythrocyte copper zinc superoxide dismutase (ZnCuSOD) levels did not differ between groups. Selenium intake was lower in the EM group (5 +/- 1 and 10 +/- 5 micrograms d-1; 3 and 6 months) than in the FF infants (13 +/- 4 and 19 +/- 7 micrograms d-1; 3 and 6 months). Erythrocyte SeGHSPx levels in EM infants were lower at 6 months (EM, 33.2 +/- 3.4; FF. 35.2 +/- 3.9: BF, 36.1 +/- 3.8 mU mg Hb-1). Thiamin intake (0.99 +/- 0.08 and 1.24 +/- 0.32; 3 and 6 months, mg 1000 kcal-1) was higher in the FF group than in EM infants (0.38 +/- 0.39 and 0.66 +/- 0.38; 3 and 6 months). There were more (13%) abnormal thiamin assays in the EM group at 6 months than in the BF and FF infants (0%). In conclusion, infants fed evaporated milk formula receive adequate copper but may not receive enough thiamin or selenium. Unless supplemented from birth with medicinal iron, intakes of iron will be inadequate.