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Formula fat distribution affects baby fat distribution: Rat study

30-Jun-2015 - Last updated on 01-Jul-2015 at 12:00 GMT

Related tags Fat

Replacing standard vegetable fats with a proprietary form in infant formulas can reduce the chances of infant obesity, an industry-funded study has found.

IOI Loders Croklaan’s ‘Betapol’ infant formula lipid was found to have better outcomes on fat tissue because palmitic acid (PA; also known as hexadecanoic acid) was located at a different position (sn-2) in the molecule compared to regular vegetable fats.

40 make wistar rats were fed diets high (Hsn-2) or low (Lsn-2) in Betapol for five weeks in the study.

Professor Sebastiano Banni, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Cagliari in Italy, found a high concentration of PA affects incorporation into phospoholipids (PLs) and influence on other bodily molecules like endocannabinoids.

“Our data show that the position of dietary PA in sn-2 of triacylglycerol (TAGs) results in a better incorporation of PA in intestine, adipose tissue and liver PLs,” the researchers wrote.

They said their study pointed to “lower susceptibility to inflammation, improved feed efficiency, and opens to possible activities in the regulation of fat deposition and brain function.”