Most parents want to give their babies the best possible start, so they are likely to take note of the marketing for commercial infant formulas that claim to promote brain development and ensure academic performance in school. But according to a new study, there is no benefit to feeding your baby these over-hyped infant formulas, and they may actually be harmful.

Some infant formula manufacturers enhance their products with the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and ARA, breast milk components that play a role in brain development. The manufacturers claim that these added ingredients benefit baby’s brain development, despite inconclusive evidence. Pre- and probiotics are other additives are used to enrich infant formulas, as well as iron.

In order to test these claims of improved brain development from the feeding of enriched formulas, researchers designed a study to compare the academic performance of adolescents who were randomly fed enriched or standard infant formula when they were babies.

Enriched infant formulas showed no benefit to performance on English and math exams for either 11-year-olds or 16-year-olds, but 11-year-olds who had been fed formulas with added fatty acids scored lower in both subjects.

They studied three kinds of enriched infant formulas: formulas enriched with nutrients; formulas with added omega-3 fatty acids; and follow-on formulas that are fortified with iron.

The researchers, from the UCL (University College London) Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Institute of Education in the United Kingdom, combined the results of seven studies of modified infant formula that took place at five English hospitals between August 1993 and October 2001.

Two of the seven studies looked at infant formulas with added fatty acids. One study tested formulas with added iron. Two studies tested formulas with higher macronutrient concentrations, and two studied formulas with added sm-2 palmitate or nucleotides, neither of which is believed to affect cognitive performance.

This information was then linked to the school records of over 1,600 adolescent students in 2018. The idea was to see if there was a relationship between the formula students were fed as an infant and their scores on national exams in math and English at 11 and 16 years of age. students’ eligibility for special education needs and making a grade of C or higher on five or more national exams were also taken into account.

Enriched infant formulas showed no benefit to performance on English and math exams for either 11-year-olds or 16-year-olds, but 11-year-olds who had been fed formulas with added fatty acids scored lower in both subjects.

Despite the fact that the studies were done decades ago, the results are still relevant because they refer to scores on the mandated national exams at an age when cognitive abilities can be accurately assessed.

Breastfeeding remains the best choice for infant nutrition, though mothers are often unable to breastfeed beyond six weeks to six months. Infant formulas are used to either replace or supplement breastmilk and are fed to over 60 percent of babies younger than six months, so choosing the best one is important.

Formulas with added nutrients may be harmful, and studies of formulas are not always well done, as an editorial by researchers at the University of Glasgow points out. The writers recommend better regulation of both research into infant formulas accompanying the study and misleading claims by manufacturers.

The study is published in The BMJ.