Thaindian News

Washington, Oct 6 (IANS) High levels of toxins from formula food have been detected in infants, which could increase their chances of developing diabetes, say researchers.

These toxins are called Advanced Glycation End products (AGE), transmitted through both baby formula food and maternal blood, according to a study by Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

The study showed that AGEs can be elevated as early as at birth, indicating that infants are highly susceptible to the inflammation associated with insulin resistance and diabetes later in life.

These researchers found that newborn infants, expected to be practically AGE-free, had AGEs in their blood as high as their adult mothers, reports the journal Diabetes Care.

AGEs — toxic glucose by-products previously tied to high blood sugar — are found in most heated foods and, in great excess in commercial infant formulas, according to the Mount Sinai statement.

Formulas that are processed under high heat can contain 100 times more AGEs than human breast milk, delivering a huge AGE surplus to infants, which could be toxic.

A second research found that cutting back on processed, grilled and fried foods, which are high in AGEs, may improve insulin resistance in adults with diabetes.

Helen Vlassara, professor in experimental diabetes and aging, working with Jaime Uribarri, her counterpart in medicine and colleagues at Mount Sinai, looked at 60 women and their infants to see if there was a passive transfer of AGEs from the blood of mothers to their babies.

Within the first year of life, after switching from breast milk onto commercial formulas, the infants’ AGEs had doubled to levels seen in people with diabetes, and many had elevated insulin levels.

“Modern food AGEs can overwhelm the body’s defences, a worrisome fact especially for young children,” said Vlassara.