BBC NEWS | Health | Supplemented feed can cut heart risk Thursday, 1 May, 2003, 23:01 GMT 00:01 UK
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Supplemented feed can cut heart risk
Bottled milk
Bottled milk may not be a good as breast milk

"Adding fatty acids to formula milk for babies may cut heart disease in later life, a study suggests.

Researchers found blood pressure levels were lower in children who had been given supplemented formula milk as babies.

The work began in 1992 when 111 newborn babies were fed with formula milk a containing long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and 126 were fed with unsupplemented formula.

Both groups were compared with babies who were breastfed. Breast milk is naturally rich in fatty acids.

Breast is best

Six years later, the children's blood pressure was measured in a follow up study.

Average blood pressure was similar in the babies who were breastfed and those given the supplemented formula..."