Research Thursday. US infant formulas contain primarily added sugars: An analysis of infant formulas on the US market
March 13, 2025
The study for this week looks at the carbohydrate content of US infant formulas. I write a lot about the composition of human milk. I also am interested in the composition of infant formulas. For years I have thought about the carbohydrate content of infant formulas and thought, “Wow, that’s a lot of bad sugars.” Thus, I found this study interesting.
Facts
Lactose is the main carbohydrate in human milk, accounting for approximately 98% of carbohydrates
Lactose has numerous important functions in the infant’s developing body and brain
Many medical organization recommend limiting sugar in the diets of young children.
Here are 5 current US infant formulas that I looked into randomly this morning to give you an idea of their carbohydrate composition.
Standard formulas
Similac 360 Total care – lactose
Enfamil Neuropro – corn syrup solids, lactose
Bobbie – organic lactose
Gentle or lactose-free formulas
Similac Sensitive – maltodextrin, sucrose
Enfamil Gentlease – corn syrup solids
Some thoughts
Why doesn’t Enfamil Neuropro just have lactose in it? Why are corn syrup solids in there and at a higher concentration than lactose??
Similac Sensitive and Enamel Gentles are formulas that contain lower amounts of lactose or no lactose. I’m not sure what to use as a carbohydrate in those formulas but keep in mind that sucrose is table sugar. Sucrose is banned from European formulas due to concerns about childhood obesity. At the very least, Similac Sensitive manufacturers could remove the sucrose.
But I digress….
Here is the citation.
Rips-Goodwin AR, Jun D, Griebel-Thompson A, et al. US infant formulas contain primarily added sugars: An analysis of infant formulas on the US market. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2025;141:107369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107369