Nutricia Neocate formula has been allegedly causing serious bone density problems in young children who were fed this formula during infancy.

Nutricia Neocate is an elemental baby formula that is often given to infants and children who are unable to digest dairy or soy. Nutricia’s product was supposed to be a safe and reliable alternative to dairy or soy based formula, but studies suggest it may not have given children their nutritional requirements necessary when they were infants.

Elemental formulas consist of proteins broken down into amino acids, to help prevent allergic reactions. Nutricia North America markets Neocate formula as “hypoallergenic,” “nutritionally complete for infants 0-12 months,” and supporting “normal growth and development.”

Due to the reported problems with Nutricia Neocate, however, young children have reportedly been developing unexpected fractures, broken bones, and even rickets.

Rickets is a condition that occurs when there is a vitamin D deficiency, which causes bones to weaken. These problems were reportedly traced down to the Nutricia Neocate formula, which may not provide all the necessary nutrition for growing bones.

Overview of Nutricia Neocate Formula Problems

A study was recently conducted by Yale Researchers and the Mayo Clinic, who observed the alleged correlation between Nutricia Neocate elemental formula and bone fractures in children. Researchers found that children were not absorbing phosphate from Neocate formula.

The study, consisting of 51 subjects from North American and Ireland, showed that 94 percent of Neocate users had developed rickets or broken bones and that the childrens’ condition improved when given supplemental phosphate or switched to a different formula. The findings were recently published in the medical journal Bone, which noted the Nutricia Neocate infants had low phosphate levels in their blood.

Phosphate and Neocate

Phosphate is vital in bone development, yet it’s a nutrient that the Nutricia Neocate formula reportedly lacks. As phosphorous levels are vital for bone development, it is important for baby formulas to include this nutritional information on their labels.

Nutricia had allegedly known about the problems associated with their Neocate formula, but continued to sell the products without warning the general public. Between 2016 and 2018, Nutricia officials reportedly learned that Neocate formula may have been causing rickets and broken bones and convened an expert panel to investigate the correlation.

The company had produced improved Neocate formula products with better phosphorus levels. The Nutricia Neocate formulas that allegedly lacked the required phosphate include:

• Neocate Syneo Infant
• Neocate Infant DHA/ARA
• Neocate Nutra
• Neocate Junior
• Neocate Junior with Probiotics
• Neocate Splash

Parents looking for safe hypoallergenic formula alternatives had relied on Nutricia Neocate for years, unaware they were putting their kids at risk for serious skeletal damage. A number of consumers have already filed legal action against Nutricia.

Recently, a Mississippi father fell under investigation by Child Protective Services (CPS) for possible child abuse due to several fractures on his son’s body. It was not until the man’s adult daughter saw a television advertisement discussing the dangers related to Nutricia Neocate baby formula that alternatives to abuse were considered.