There might still be a battle going on between breast milk and baby formula, but some mothers out there might decide that nature's milk wins by default. After many recent scares about tainted baby formula, there is a new one. A new study from scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a small study of 15 powdered formulas and the scientists found that all were contaminated with perchlorate. Perchlorate is a component of rocket fuel that's linked to thyroid disease. The study did not name the companies it studied, but did reveal that cow's milk formula with lactose had the highest perchlorate levels, compared to formulas that were soy-based, lactose-free or "elemental." Not sure if this will make you feel any better, but the Environmental Working Group found that perchlorate has been found to contaminate the drinking water in 28 states and territories. The baby formula study was conducted with perchlorate-free water. So what's next? This article (click here) says concerned parents should make sure that their infants have a diet with sufficient iodine, which can counteract perchlorate's harmful effects. They also added that the study didn't actually measure perchlorate in infants and that a study of that nature is essential to determine if infants are actually absorbing the perchlorate to which they're exposed to.

Labels: food, parenting, study