Warning over sugar levels in formula

Some baby formula milk contains up to twice as much sugar as a Fanta fizzy drink despite the potential increased risks of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, a university study has found.

Some ready-to-drink formula milk for babies under 12 months – used by the 60 per cent of women who do not breastfeed – was found to contain as much as 8.7 grams of added sugar per 100 millilitres of liquid, which compares with 4.6 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres for Fanta.

The 8.7g – equivalent to two teaspoons of added sugar – also exceeds the European Parliament recommended limits for infants of 7.5g per 100ml.

The research – part of an 11-nation investigation into the content of formula milk – found over half of the products contained more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, making them sweeter than many fizzy drinks.

It was conducted by Gemma

Bridge, of Leeds Beckett University, with Prof Raman Bedi, professor of trans-cultural oral health at King’s College London and England’s former chief dental officer.

Bridge said breast milk is sweet and high in energy but the sugar it contains – as much as 7g – is naturally-occurring lactose, which is specific to the needs of the growing infant.

‘‘Conversely, infant formula milks have a standardised makeup and contain added sugars such as corn syrup which are added during production and are not found in breast milk,’’ she said.

‘‘This is bad for babies because high consumption of added sugars may contribute to tooth decay, poor diet and lead to obesity in children.’’

The baby milk manufacturers deny the claims. They say their products are ‘‘safe and as nutritionally complete as possible and ensure the composition is informed by the best available science’’.