AUTHOR=Shen Lili , Huang Weihua , Xu Xuebing , Wang Li , Wang Qingyun , Li Shengqi , Yuan Xuewei 

TITLE=Stool Saponified Fatty Acid, Behavior, Growth, and Stool Characteristics in Infants Fed a High-OPO Formula: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.712201

DOI=10.3389/fped.2021.712201

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> 1,3-Dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol (OPO) is an ideal structured triglyceride for infant formula, with a similar structure to human milk fat. We conducted this randomized, double-blind controlled, single-center trial to evaluate the effects of an OPO formula in infants.</p><p><bold>Study Design:</bold> One hundred seventy-four healthy term infants &lt;14 days old were assigned to the standard formula-fed group (<italic>n</italic> = 55), high sn-2 palmitic acid (OPO) formula-fed infants (<italic>n</italic> = 58), and breastfed (BF) group (<italic>n</italic> = 61). The primary endpoint was the total saponified fatty acid content in feces at week 6 and week 12.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Infants from the OPO group had lower concentrations of fecal saponified fatty acids than those from the standard formula group (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001) at week 6 and week 12. The frequencies of crying per day and per night of infants in the OPO group were significantly less than those of infants in the standard formula group (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001). After 12 weeks of feeding, the length of infants was significantly higher in the OPO group than in the other two groups (<italic>p</italic> = 0.002). Infants in the OPO group had a significantly lower stool calcium concentration and a higher stool frequency per day than infants in the standard formula group.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> In summary, a high concentration of OPO in formula is beneficial to the growth and development of infants.</p>