Neocate is a popular alternative formula product for infants and children with many food allergies. But research shows it could be linked to an increased incidence of bone maladies and fractures.

Parents are currently conducting Neocate monitoring of their children and infants after a recent study found that these products may cause bone deformities and rickets to develop.

Neocate is manufactured and produced by Nutricia North America. It is a line of elemental formulas that consist completely of broken down amino acids that are supposed to be safe for children with food allergies or other intolerances.

According to the Neocate website, these formulas were developed to help give families sufficient options when determining the best alternative infant formulas that are not based from dairy or soy.

Nutricia made these products from broken down amino acids because it is the simplest source of protein. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of all proteins in the body, which makes them the least likely to trigger allergic reactions.

The company states the formulas support normal growth in infants and young children with food allergies and other gastrointestinal sensitivities, and overall, Neocate products are supposed to meet the vital nutritional needs of children.

Overview of Neocate Formula Bone Problems

A recent study, however, has found that children may benefit from long term Neocate monitoring to prevent or minimize broken bones or rickets and that findings indicated contradictions to Nutricia’s claims.

The research was a conjoined study between Yale University and Mayo Clinic and was published in the journal Bone in 2017. Researchers reportedly found that the Neocate formulas tended to produce low blood phosphate levels in infants.

This condition, hypophosphatemia, may cause bones to weaken and can cause dangerously low bone density. This can cause bones to easily break and lead to skeletal deformities to develop in growing children.

In addition, the study reportedly found that 94 percent of the 51 children who were given Neocate infant formulas had also developed rickets. This condition is characterized by weak bones caused by vitamin D deficiency, along with insufficient calcium amounts. However, it is unusual for rickets to be linked to lower blood phosphorus levels.

This was backed up by an earlier 2002 study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, that found that calcium and phosphorus were “co-dependent” when it came to bone development. In addition to being vital to bone health, phosphorus also maximizes the benefits of calcium.

With Neocate allegedly failing to meet these nutritional requirements, it has become a prominent concern for families in the United States. One family has already suffered the effects of these nutritional problems, with a Mississippi father finding out the need for Neocate monitoring almost too late.

According to the Clarion Ledger, the man reportedly almost lost his 10 year old son due to several unexplained fractures. He was put under investigation for child abuse by Child Protective Services (CPS), but the investigation halted after his daughter saw a commercial regarding Neocate nutritional problems. It was later understood that the boy had been primarily fed Neocate formula through a feeding tube.