All mammals, including humans, make milk with carbohydrates in the same unique form: lactose, a sugar that is a fusion of two other sugars called galactose and glucose. While scientists don't know why all mammary glands arrange sugars this way, many believe that it's important for babies. And growing evidence suggests that lactose substitutes in infant formula, such as corn syrup solids, may have health consequences, though the research comes with caveats and experts caution against swapping formulas amid a lingering shortage.
Research indicates that corn-syrup-based formulas are metabolized differently by infants compared to lactose-based formulas and human milk. Small studies have shown that the former alters the infant microbiome, as well as eating habits of toddlers. And a new study, published this August in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed 15,000 infants and suggested a higher risk of obesity at age four for those who were fed corn-syrup-based formula compared to those who were fed lactose-based formula. The study tracked children who received free formula through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
