Infant formula

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Infant formula

Infant formula (pronunciation: /ˈɪnfənt ˈfɔːrmjʊlə/) is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without additional water). The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".

Etymology

The term "infant formula" is derived from the Latin word "infans" meaning "unable to speak" and the Latin word "formula" meaning "a set form, rule, method, plan, principle, etc."

Related Terms

  • Breast milk: The milk produced by the breasts (or mammary glands) of a human female to feed a child. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to eat and digest other foods.
  • Bottle feeding: The process of feeding an infant with a bottle. The bottle is usually filled with either infant formula or breast milk.
  • Lactose intolerance: A common condition where a person has an inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products.
  • Protein hydrolysate: A mixture of amino acids prepared by splitting a protein with acid, alkali, or enzyme. Such preparations provide the nutritive equivalent of the original material in the form of its constituent amino acids and are used as nutrient and dietary supplements.
  • Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs): The third-largest solid component in human milk. HMOs are not digested by infants but help to guide development of the infant gut microbiota, which previous research suggests is a key influencer of allergic disease.

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