Lactose in Organic Baby Formula: Natural Carbohydrates for Growing Infants

Every baby is different, and so are his or her nutritional needs. Infant formula replaces breast milk in the first six months of life and is used after 12 months to supplement other foods. The infant formula manufacturers consider the age and nutritional needs of healthy babies and infants with special needs. Therefore, choosing the best infant formula for a baby is a joint effort between parents and a pediatrician.

However, parents often carefully check infant formula labels and are highly interested in its composition. Despite the variety of compositions of milk formulas, their main components are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, enriched with vitamins and minerals and additional ingredients (mostly prebiotics and probiotics). In the end, the main difference in the formulas is the sources of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. In this case, let’s focus on carbohydrates in organic baby formula.

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Lactose and its role in the nutrition of babies

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the baby’s body. The need for carbohydrates in infants depends on age and the body’s energy expenditure. The rapid growth of babies is associated with high energy consumption for synthetic processes, especially for protein synthesis. Therefore, the child’s body needs a constant supply of quickly broken down and digested nutrients, providing the necessary energy. It is better if the carbohydrate part of the infant’s diet is mostly lactose, as in breast milk.

Lactose is a milk sugar, the carbohydrate that gives a delicious flavor to all dairy products. It is an absolutely natural carbohydrate. A baby’s body is predisposed to this type of carbohydrate. Lactose is easy to digest and provides growth and development of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. It also helps the absorption of calcium and iron.

Benefits of lactose

Lactose is a high-energy element, and this feature extends to all foods that contain it.
It markedly strengthens the immunity of the body.
Consumption of foods containing lactose is a preventive measure against cardiovascular diseases.
Since ancient times, people have noted the positive effect of lactose on the nervous system.
Lactose normalizes calcium metabolism and helps the intestine to absorb vitamins B and C.

In general, all experts agree that dairy products are suitable for the human body, except in cases of individual lactose intolerance.

Therefore, formula manufacturers reduce the amount of lactose in their products by producing partial hydrolysates in the form of hypoallergenic formula or comfort formula for babies with special nutritional needs.

It is undesirable to eliminate lactose completely, as it is necessary for calcium absorption and covering the brain’s energy needs. In the case of food intolerance, parents should visit a pediatrician. With his or her help, they can get recommendations for a special diet and necessary treatment.

Lactose intolerance

It is worth making a difference between milk intolerance and milk allergy. With milk intolerance, consuming a small intake of milk products is acceptable. Usually, lactose intolerance is associated with a lack of the enzyme lactase in the human body or its low activity. By the action of the enzyme, lactose is broken down into simple substances: glucose and galactose. In a healthy body, this process is completely trouble-free. Disruption of lactase production leads to the development of lactase deficiency. That means that the body cannot digest milk and dairy products. After consuming such food, the following symptoms occur:

diarrhea;
stomach pain;
nausea;
excessive gas;
rashes on the face and body.

Switching to lactose-free baby food – What you need to know

Switch to lactose-free baby food only after talking to your pediatrician. Lactase deficiency is not always the cause of excessive gas, loose stools, and colic. Getting a professional medical diagnosis and ruling out other diseases is essential. If the doctor confirms lactose intolerance, you can choose special formulas, gradually introduce a new product in small portions, and carefully monitor the child’s reaction.

What is lactose in infant formula?

Usually, lactose in infant formula is the main carbohydrate or carbohydrate component. As mentioned above, lactose is necessary for the body to absorb a vital nutrient such as calcium and is also one of the primary sources of energy obtained during digestion.

The lactose content in formulas:

Regular formulas – different in all formulae (but not less than 60% of all carbohydrates) and depend on the manufacturer;
Therapeutic formulas – reduced or absent, respectively, in low-lactose or lactose-free formulas.

To avoid GI problems in babies, many parents prefer organic goat milk-based formulas. The reason for this popularity is that goat’s milk is easier to digest for an immature digestive system.

With faster absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, goat milk baby food can positively affect the health of newborns and infants. In addition, manufacturers of baby food, including Nannycare formula, have the opportunity to improve the nutritional value of their products through the additional inclusion of both micro and macronutrients, which can be crucial for the growth and development of babies.

Nannycare organic formulas are based on natural goat’s milk and do not contain GMO components, artificial food additives, or preservatives. These baby formulas are a unique source of phosphorus and calcium, which is vital for the growing body, and the calcium is in an easily digestible form.

The bottom line

When mixed or formula feeding is necessary for any reason, a detailed study of the list of ingredients in the composition of the formula gives an idea of all the essential substances and their properties, as well as the quality of the product. Every parent will be able to make a choice in favor of the baby food based on the most modern scientific and medical requirements to support the baby’s proper development.

If the baby is not suffering from “lactase deficiency”, lactose will not cause any harm to the baby. In infant formula, lactose has many benefits and makes the formula close to breast milk, which has 100% lactose. It is a natural carbohydrate that must necessarily be introduced into the baby’s diet as a part of formula or mixed feeding (except in cases of intolerance).