Selenium, Manganese, Zinc, and Copper Content in Infant Formula

Abstract

Breast milk is considered to be the ideal food for infants. It provides a complete nutrient profile as wen as immune system components for the first few months of the infant's life (1). But the popularity of bottle feeding newborn infants has increased dramatically in the last 50 years, mostly in developing countries, but in the United States as well. Few data are available concerning the amount or the bioavailability, of some trace elements contained in infant formulas. Does infant formula provide insufficient or excessive amounts of these elements? We do know that infant formula does not provide the immunity protection that human colostrum does. Infant formulas are relatively expensive. Its use in developing countries can be a some disadvantage to infants, not only physically but also economically to the parents of the infants. Some normal healthy mothers actually prefer to bottle feed their infants with infant formula instead of their natural milk because they think that infant formula is much better in quality compared to breast milk. It is very important to give the society complete information about the advantages and disadvantages of infant formula, and providing complete data concerning the trace elements is one step (3).