Research Finds Common Baby Formula Ingredient May Be Causing Liver Disease in Infants

Baby formula has long been an early childhood staple for newborns and infants. However, research indicates that some common ingredients that are used in baby formula may actually be causing liver disease.

The culprit? Fats. And researchers believe that these fats are causing something called steatotic liver disease, which was formerly called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and is typically seen in adults. Doctors say they have seen a rise in the condition in babies and children over the years.

According to the research, medium-chain fats are specifically to blame, and the experts say that they saw the effects of the fat buildup in the liver in as little as a single week.

However, that doesn't mean that you should stop feeding your baby formula. You can keep reading to learn more about the research, including how it highlights just how big a role early childhood nutrition plays in our lives, from the time we are born all the way through adulthood.

Researchers working with Virginia Tech have found a connection between medium-chain fats added to baby formula and steatotic liver disease, which is caused by the buildup of fat in the liver.

According to Newsweek, researchers worked with a neonatal pig model, feeding the animal baby formula to see how the fats would impact the metabolism of the liver during those early months of development. They found that formulas using coconut oil showed a much faster fat buildup in the liver.

Those neonatal pigs that were fed formula made with long-chain fats like animal fats experienced a buildup at a slower rate, which was far more pronounced.

“Even within seven days, we could see fat starting to build up in the liver,” Professor El‑Kadi, the paper's author and an animal scientist, said in a statement read by Newsweek. “By about two weeks, it had progressed from simple steatosis to a more severe inflammatory form of the disease.” However, El-Kadi cautioned people against stopping the formula.

Instead, he says that this information should be used to better understand how formula is made and the impacts it has on a baby's developing body.

“The immediate benefits of feeding far outweigh any potential long-term risks," El-Kadi said, even noting that when his own baby was born, his family opted to use formula to feed them.

According to the Liver Foundation, the symptoms of childhood steatotic liver disease (which is also called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease or MASLD), can vary and include things like:

• Stomach pain
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Trouble with concentrating, depression, and anxiety
• Skin color changes around joints and the back/neck

There's no specific test that can be done to check for the condition, according to the organization.

Instead, they say it's usually discovered on accident while tests are being performed for another reason.

Fortunately, the treatment appears to be fairly simple, and it includes maintaining a healthy weightand diet while getting plenty oof exercise.