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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Mar 3;14(5):1064.
doi: 10.3390/nu14051064.

The Glycemic Response to Infant Formulas: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Adi Anafy  1   2   3 , Hadar Moran-Lev  1   2   3 , Niva Shapira  4 , Meital Priel  1   3 , Asaf Oren  3   5 , Laurence Mangel  3   6 , Dror Mandel  3   6 , Ronit Lubetzky  1   3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Glycemic Response to Infant Formulas: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Adi Anafy et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Commercial infant formulas attempt to imitate human milk's unique composition. However, lactose-free and milk protein-free formulas are often chosen due to medical reasons or personal preferences. The aim of this study was to determine the glycemic and insulinemic indices of a variety of infant formulas.

Methods: We conducted a three-arm, randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Participants were 25-40-year-old healthy adults. Three commercial infant formulas (cow's milk protein-based ["standard"], soy protein-based, and lactose-free) were randomly given to each participant. Glycemic and insulinemic responses were determined and compared between the three formulas.

Results: Twenty subjects were enrolled (11 females/9 males, mean age 32.8 ± 2.9 years). No significant difference was found in the glycemic index between the three formulas (21.5, 29.1, and 21.5 for the standard, soy protein-based, and lactose-free formulas, respectively, p = 0.21). However, maximal glucose levels were significantly higher for the soy protein-based formula compared to both the standard and lactose-free formulas (111.5 compared to 101.8 and 105.8 mg/dL, respectively, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Cow's milk protein-based, soy protein-based, and lactose-free formulas have a similar glycemic index. However, soy protein-based formula produced a significantly higher increase in postprandial glucose levels. The implication and biological significance of these results have yet to be determined.

Keywords: cow’s milk protein-based formula; glycemic index; infant formula; lactose-free formula; soy protein-based formula.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Postprandial plasma glucose level per infant formula (mean ± SEM (standard error of the mean)), (a) absolute values, (b) relative to the baseline.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Postprandial plasma insulin level per infant formula (mean ± SEM): (a) absolute values; (b) relative to the baseline.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Glycemic index per infant formula (mean ± SD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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