A recent study suggests that Neocate formula side effects may include rickets and broken bones.

Neocate formula is a hypoallergenic formula often given to babies who have a soy or dairy allergy. UNC Feeding Team notes that Neocate is an elemental formula, meaning that the proteins in them are entirely broken down. For babies who have milk and soy allergies, proteins that are broken down into their component amino acids are reportedly easier to process. 

In 2017, the journal Bone published a study that suggested that baby who are fed Neonate were at risk for conditions including broken bones and rickets, possibly because of a problem with the formula’s composition.

In the study by Yale University and Mayo Clinic, 51 children in North America and Ireland who were given Neocate as their primary source of nutrition were studied, and 94 percent of these babies were discovered to have conditions including rickets, broken bones, or low phosphate levels. 

According to the study, these Neocate formula side effects are caused by the phosphate in the formula being in a form that is not easily absorbed. This low absorption reportedly affects bone development and density, compromising the bone strength in the babies who use the formula. Babies who consumed an all-Neocate diet could be at risk for developing hypophosphatemia as a Neocate formula side effect.

Neocate advertises that though the proteins are broken down, it is “nutritionally complete for infants 0-12 months, implying that these formulas have everything a baby needs to develop normally. However, the Bone study suggests that though Neocate has an “adequate formula composition,” not enough of the phosphate in the formula can be used by the child’s body.

Phosphate is just as important to bone development as calcium — bones are composed of over 50 percent phosphorous. According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, calcium and phosphorous are “codependent” when it comes to bone health.

A deficiency in phosphate is known as hypophosphatemia. Low phosphate levels can cause a range of bone problems including low bone density. Low bone density can in turn cause rickets, skeletal deformities, stunted growth, and broken bones.

Happily, the study also reported that bone density of most of the children improved when they were switched to a different formula. So a baby experiencing some Neocate formula side effects may still be able to develop strong bones if fed a different formula.

Parents may not know that their babies’ health problems could be connected to Neocate use. While rickets is typically seen as linked to a vitamin D deficiency, it can be caused by any nutrient deficiency that is negatively affecting bone health. In fact, low phosphorous levels is a known (though rare) cause of rickets, so many parents may not know that their child’s rickets could be one of the Neonate formula side effects.