Tag Archives: arsenic

Understanding Heavy Metals in Baby Formula: Insights from Abbott

Posted on by

Link to Abbott website: Facts for Parents About Heavy Metals and Infant Formula

Some excepts:

Consumer Reports published a report on the levels of heavy metals in U.S. infant formulas. In response, we want to share some important information with parents regarding the report.

  • First and foremost, Abbott’s Similac infant formulas are safe, and parents can use them confidently.
  • The results reported by Consumer Reports for our infant formulas meet the regulations for heavy metals already set by the European Commission and Health Canada. FDA is currently developing limits for infant formula in the U.S.
  • Abbott has a multi-step quality process for heavy metals to ensure that levels are below the relevant regulatory requirements in the countries we serve.

Occurrence of Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment, including in the soil, water, or air where foods are grown.  As a result, they are present in low levels in almost anything we eat or drink, including in baby food, all brands of infant formula, fruits and vegetables, and human breast milk.

Commitment to Safety and Quality…

The levels of heavy metals that Consumer Reports detected in Abbott’s formulas are very low—just a few parts per billion. To put that in perspective, a single ppb equals a single grain of sand in 730 pounds of sand.

Approach to Heavy Metals…

Individual ingredients that we believe may contain trace heavy metals (due to absorption from the natural environment) are tested during the qualification process before we approve them for use in our products.  We also have an ongoing surveillance testing program after the qualification process designed to periodically test samples of ingredients and finished products to ensure that our supplier and ingredient qualification process is working as intended...Parents can continue to use them with confidence. 

Related blog posts:

Briefly Noted: Arsenic Levels with GFD, Cellphones, and Enuresis Outcomes

Posted on by

This post has a couple interesting items:

  1. Arsenic levels were not increased in individuals with celiac disease who were consuming a gluten-free diet
  2. Cellphones: There are good reasons for physicians to avoid giving out their cellphone numbers to patients
  3. Enuresis -most patients respond to bedwetting alarms

RD Watkins et al. Practical Gastroenterology; 2018; 42: 12-6.  In this retrospective review of 39 patients (with available arsenic levels), patients with celiac disease (adult & pediatric) had normal and/or undetectable arsenic levels.  The mean duration on a gluten-free diet was 2.35 years for pediatric patients and 3.31 years for adults.

33 Charts/Bryan Vartabedian: Should Physicians Give Their Cell Phone Numbers to Patients

E Apos et al. J Pediatr 2018; 193: 211-6.  This study showed that enuresis treatment with a bedwetting alarm system was effective in 76% of patients (n=2861) and that mean treatment time to achieve dryness was 62 days. The most frequent age group was 6 years to 10 years of age.

 

View from Bright Angel Trail

Advice on Arsenic in Baby Foods

Posted on by

The issue of arsenic, mainly in rice cereal, has been discussed on this blog: Arsenic in Rice –New Recommendations

Renewed widespread publicity on this is likely following a recent NY Times Article: Should You Be Worried About the Arsenic in Your Baby Food?

Here’s an excerpt:

Rice cereal is often a baby’s first solid food, but it contains relatively high amounts of arsenic, a source of growing concern…rice cereals still contain six times more inorganic arsenic, on average, than infant cereals made with other grains like barley or oatmeal.

The new report comes from Healthy Babies Bright Futures, an alliance of scientists, nonprofit groups and private donors that aims to reduce children’s exposures to chemicals that may harm developing brains. One step parents can take immediately to reduce children’s exposure to arsenic is to feed infants cereals made with other grains, the group suggests…

For years, pediatricians have encouraged parents to introduce babies to a wide variety of grains in order to minimize exposure to arsenic…

The Healthy Babies Bright Futures alliance … found that over all, oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, organic quinoa, wheat and rice-free multigrain baby cereals contained much lower amounts of inorganic arsenic than rice cereals..

The average level of arsenic in the rice cereals tested recently was 85 parts per billion, down from an average level of 103 parts per billion found by the F.D.A. when it tested baby cereals in 2013 and 2014…

To reduce your family’s exposure to arsenic, the report suggests choosing a variety of grains including those low in arsenic.

My take: While the levels of arsenic are low, for the infants who are likely more vulnerable, it makes sense to recommend oatmeal cereal rather than rice cereal when introducing solid foods.

 

Arsenic in Rice –New Recommendations

Posted on by

Over the last two years, there has been increased concern about arsenic in rice.  This has been addressed by consumer reports, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and is being looked into by the FDA.

Due to the concerns about arsenic in rice, the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) committee on nutrition has published a consensus statement (JPGN 2015; 60: 142-145).  Pediatric gastroenterologists and pediatricians need to familiarize themselves with the report and their recommendations.

Key points:

  • Inorganic arsenic is a carcinogen.
  • “Arsenic content in raw rice varies from 0.1 to 0.4 mg of inorganic arsenic/kg of dry mass.  Rice has a much higher arsenic level than that in other grains.”
  • “Brown rice contains higher concentrations of arsenic.”
  • There is increased inorganic arsenic in products made from rice bran such as rice drinks is much higher due to the concentration of arsenic in the bran layers.
  • “Traditionally in European adults, an average of 9g of rice is consumed daily compared with 300g/day in Asian diets.”
  • “In the US population, mean childhood (1-6 years of age) dietary intake of inorganic arsenic is 3.2 mcg per day”
  • Currently, in the UK, the Food Standards Agency recommends against substitution of breastmilk, formula, or cow’s milk formula by rice drinks up to 4.5 years of age;  in contrast, in Sweden, recommendations advise no rice-based drinks for children <6 years.

Committee Conclusions/Recommendations:

  • “Inorganic arsenic intake during childhood is likely to affect long-term health”
  • “There is a lack of published data on the amount of arsenic in rice protein-based infant formula”
  • Inorganic arsenic in childhood should be as low as possible and the content in dietary products needs to be regulated
  • Rice drinks should not be used in infants and young children
  • Inorganic arsenic exposure can be reduced by including a variety of grains such as oat, barley, wheat, and maize.
  • Rice protein-based infant formulas remain an option in those with cow’s milk protein allergy,,.”the potential risks should be considered”

This is a link to the full length article (available via JPGNonline twitter feed): JGPN “Arsenic in Rice: A Cause for Concern”

This topic has been addressed by Nutrition4Kids website as well. Nutrition4Kids FDA Studying Arsenic

Bottomline: If there is an impact of arsenic in rice on long-term health, it is unclear; the amounts of these exposures are tiny in most cases.  Yet, given the availability of alternatives to rice and rice-based drinks, some changes in practice (ie. adhering to these guidelines) may be worthwhile.