RiFood reveals formula brands vary in probiotic supplementation

A study by Dr CHIOU Jiachi Amber, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Associate Head of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, has discovered that formula milk brands vary greatly in terms of how effectively they supplement probiotic Bifidobacteria in caesarean-born infants, with the effectiveness differing by as much as 40 times among brands.

The study was based on earlier findings on mothers who gave birth by caesarean section, which revealed the prevalence of breastfeeding challenges such as delayed lactation and insufficiency (77%) and the need for formula feeding due to breastfeeding-associated stress (69%).