The two varieties of formula contained the same amount of calories, but the babies on hydrolysate formula ate less, gaining weight at a rate comparable to those on breast milk. The authors said the predigested proteins in hydrolysate formula may send a stronger signal to the digestive system, causing the babies to feel full sooner.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health; the formulas were supplied by a company that makes both varieties.
– Tom Avril
Study finds psoriasis increases risk of metabolic syndrome A new study urges doctors to be on the lookout for metabolic syndrome among patients with psoriasis, a common skin disease that causes redness and irritation.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors – including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol – that increases the chance of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Analyzing data from a U.S. health survey, researchers from Iceland, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania found that 40 percent of psoriasis patients had metabolic syndrome, compared with 23 percent of a control group with no psoriasis. thus, the syndrome was almost twice as common among psoriasis sufferers.
The researchers did not speculate about a biological reason for the association, but they estimated that of the 6.6 million American adults with psoriasis, 2.7 million have metabolic syndrome.
Given the serious complications of the syndrome, it “needs to be recognized and taken into account when treating individuals with psoriasis.” The study appeared online last week in the Archives of Dermatology.