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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Microbiome and Metabolism Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #300803
Title: Infant formula increases bone turnover favoring bone formation

Author
item CHEN, JIN-RAN - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item ANDRES, ALINE - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item LAZARENKO, OXANA - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item RONIS, MARTIN - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item Badger, Thomas - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)

Submitted to: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/2014
Publication Date: 4/15/2014
Citation: Chen, J., Andres, A., Lazarenko, O., Ronis, M.J., Badger, T.M. 2014. Infant formula increases bone turnover favoring bone formation [abstract]. The FASEB Journal. 28(1 Supplement):1027.8.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the first year of life, the major infant food choices have traditionally been breast milk (BM), cow's milk formula (MF), or soy formula (SF). Studies examining the effects of infant formula on early life skeletal development are extremely limited. We have enrolled 120 healthy 6-month-old infants who were fed BM (n=40), MF (n=40), or SF (n=40), and studied bone turnover markers in urine. Bone formation marker osteocalcin which is only secreted by osteoblasts was measured by a urine ELISA kit generated in our laboratory. Bone resorption marker, collagen crosslink N-terminal telopeptide (NTx), was measured using a commercial kit. While there were no significant differences between MF and SF groups in bone formation and resorption markers, osteocalcin was substantially increased in both MF and SF groups compared to those from BM group (p < 0.01). NTx was also increased in both MF and SF groups compared to those from BM group (p < 0.05), but to a lesser degree. We reproduced these results in a piglet animal model where male and female neonatal piglets (n=6 per group) were fed BM, MF, or SF for 20 days. Similar to what we found in infants, there were no gender differences in increased osteocalcin in MF and SF groups in urine compared to those from BM group. Increased bone mass was associated with urinary osteocalcin in MF and SF piglet groups. These results suggest increased bone turnover favoring more bone formation occurs in formula-fed compared to breast-fed infants.