Baby rickets and other bone related complications have been reported in some infants and young children, due to Neocate formula allegedly not meeting their nutritional needs.

Rickets is the softening and weakening of bones in children, which is typically caused by chronic vitamin D deficiency.

Even though typical rickets is associated with vitamin D deficiency, according to the Merck Manual, low phosphorus levels may be linked to a condition called hypophosphatemic rickets. This condition is caused by low levels of electrolyte phosphate, and causes bones to bend and brake easily.

Babies and children who develop rickets will often exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:

• Bowed Legs or Knock Knees
• Thickened Wrists and Ankles
• Breastbone Projection
• Pain in Spine, Pelvis, and Legs
• Muscle Weakness

According to the Mayo Clinic, infants and children who may be suffering from rickets should see a doctor as soon as possible, with parents encouraged to be on the lookout for unexplained bone pain, muscle weakness, or obvious skeletal deformities.

Vitamin D is vital for calcium and phosphorus absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, making it especially vital for growing infants and children. However, certain products from the Neocate formula line have been allegedly not meeting this nutritional need.

Along with vitamin D, children who do not get enough phosphorus levels may also be vulnerable to bone bones. According to a 2002 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, calcium and phosphorus are “co-dependent” for healthy bone development.

Phosphorous helps the body by maximizing the effects of calcium, which can also help prevent conditions like rickets.

Overview of Neocate Rickets Correlation

Neocate is an amino acids based formula that is designed for infants and children suffering from one or multiple food allergies, like soy or dairy, and is supposed to provide all the nutritional supplementation needed, just like a regular baby formula.

However, some children fed Neocate have reportedly developed baby rickets or hypophosphatemia. This troubling trend was recently discovered when a study between Yale University and the Mayo Clinic had discovered that infants and children who were given Neocate formula, faced an increased risks of bone problems.

The study was published in the 2017 issue of Bone and showed that Neocate formula produced low blood phosphate levels that ultimately caused low bone density.

Low bone density can cause rickets, broken bones, skeletal deformities, and stunted growth, with researchers examining 51 children in North America and Ireland who were fed Neocate formula as their main source of food. According to the results of the study, 94 percent of the children had reportedly developed rickets, broken bones, or low phosphate levels.

This alleged correlation between Neocate formula and baby rickets has already earned widespread attention, with a father from Mississippi nearly losing custody of his child due to injuries attributed to bone problems caused by the formula.

His son reportedly had unexplained broken bones and was primarily fed Neocate formula through a feeding tube. His daughter learned about the alleged connection on a television commercial and pointed out the potential Neocate phosphorus deficiency problem.