A one-of-a-kind recipe for babies with gas, crying, and fussiness. Bobbie Organic Gentle is the first USDA & EU Organic tolerance formula made with 100% lactose as the carbohydrate source.
Anthony Porto, MD, MPH, FAAP
Dad, board-certified Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Chief of Pediatric GI at Yale University, Bobbie Chief Medical Director
Dina DiMaggio, MD, FAAP
Mom, board-certified Pediatrician, Bobbie Labs Medical Research Director, co-author of The Pediatrician’s Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers, and AAP spokesperson
Healthy, term infants begin producing lactase enzymes during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, resulting in the biological ability to digest lactose—from either breast milk or formula—beginning at birth.1
While many parents believe a reduced-lactose formula might help their baby’s digestion, there is no strong evidence that reducing lactose in infant formulas will alleviate gas, fussiness, or colic in infants without a medical problem that necessitates it.2,3
In the US, 59% of infant formula purchased is lactose-reduced4
of US tolerance formulas use a reduced-lactose recipe with alternative carbohydrates like corn syrup solids8
If lactose is removed, alternative carbohydrate(s) have to be used to meet the nutritional requirements. Lactose is the primary source of carbohydrate found in breast milk, yet nearly 90% of all tolerance formulas in the U.S. use alternative carbohydrates such as corn syrup solids, sucrose, or corn derivatives like maltodextrin.5
Research suggests that infant formulas with corn syrup solids can significantly change the gut microbiota at an early age6 and are associated with excess weight gain in toddlerhood.7
Want to learn more about the latest science on carbohydrates in infant formula? Watch our most recent Journal Club where Michael Goran, PhD and Anthony Porto, MD, MPH, FAAP, CMD provide an overview of carbohydrates in infant formula and share the latest discoveries.
P.S. Free continued education credit is offered for Dietitians and Nurses.
1Fassio F, et al. Lactose Maldigestion, Malabsorption, and Intolerance: A Comprehensive Review with a Focus on Current Management and Future Perspectives. Nutrients. 2018;10(11). 2Gordon M, Biagioli E, Sorrenti M, Lingua C, Moja L, Banks SS, Ceratto S, Savino F. Dietary modifications for infantile colic. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018(10). 3Sherman AL, Anderson J, Rudolph CD, Walker LS. Lactose-free milk or soy-based formulas do not improve caregivers’ distress or perceptions of difficult infant behavior. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2015 Jul 1;61(1):119-24. 4Strzalkowski AJ, Järvinen KM, Schmidt B, Young BE. Protein and carbohydrate content of infant formula purchased in the United States. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2022 Nov;52(11):1291-301. 5Source: IRI MULO + Natural; last 52 weeks as of 3/1/236Jones, Roshonda B., et al. "Lactose-reduced infant formula with added corn syrup solids is associated with a distinct gut microbiota in Hispanic infants." Gut microbes 12.1 (2020) 7Anderson, Christopher E., Shannon E. Whaley, and Michael I. Goran. "Lactose-reduced infant formula with corn syrup solids and obesity risk among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2022).8IRI MULO + Natural; last 52 weeks as of 3/1/23
Partially hydrolyzing the protein breaks it down into a smaller peptides, which can help support easy digestion.
PharmD, MPH, RD, and mother who led development for Bobbie Organic Gentle