Clinical tests clear baby milk powder
Source: Xinhua |
August 16, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NO evidence has been found that milk powder made by a Chinese company caused three infant girls to grow breasts, China's Health Ministry announced yesterday.
Ministry spokesman Deng Haihua told a press conference in Beijing that a clinical investigation had found the hormone content of the milk powder to be within normal standards.
Earlier this month, parents and doctors in Hubei Province were voicing fears that milk powder produced by Nasdaq-listed Synutra International had caused at least three infant girls to develop prematurely.
Deng said food safety experts led by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention tested 42 samples of Synutra products and 31 samples of dairy products from other producers.
The 42 samples of Synutra products included one from the residue of milk powder consumed by one of the three infant girls and 41 from products on sale in Hubei and Beijing.
Deng said the tests found no added hormones in sample products, and the levels of naturally occurring hormones in the sample products were within normal ranges.
He said doctors who examined the three infants found the cases of premature development were not serious and there were no national statistics suggesting a prevalence of premature development.
Professor Wu Xueyan, an expert in endocrine research at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told the press conference that the premature development of the three infant girls should be diagnosed as "minimal puberty," usually seen among infant boys up to six months and girls up to two years.
"Minimal puberty" as a natural result of hormone secretion would make infants develop prematurely, Wu said. Girl infants under two years who are sensitive to hormone secretion could grow breasts.
He said the experts studied the medical histories, clinical symptoms and chemical tests of the three girls. "The three infants did not show premature development of bones or height, and the growth of their breasts was within the normal range of minimal puberty," Wu said.
Asked to comment on the increase of premature development cases over the past decade, Wu attributed it to greater awareness of the problem.
"I believe more parents will pay attention to the problem after this incident, which might trigger a rise in hospital visits and more such diagnoses," Wu said.
Shao Bing, a researcher with the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said experts from different medical institutes took part in the tests.
"The samples were delivered by the Ministry of Health, each was given a number, but with no trademark," Shao said. "The testing method was widely applied during the Beijing Olympic Games."
Synutra International said yesterday the company appreciated the ministry's prompt investigation.
The company's website yesterday carried a letter written by is President Zhang Liang, expressing regret for the panic and the public concern over the company's products.
Ministry spokesman Deng Haihua told a press conference in Beijing that a clinical investigation had found the hormone content of the milk powder to be within normal standards.
Earlier this month, parents and doctors in Hubei Province were voicing fears that milk powder produced by Nasdaq-listed Synutra International had caused at least three infant girls to develop prematurely.
Deng said food safety experts led by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention tested 42 samples of Synutra products and 31 samples of dairy products from other producers.
The 42 samples of Synutra products included one from the residue of milk powder consumed by one of the three infant girls and 41 from products on sale in Hubei and Beijing.
Deng said the tests found no added hormones in sample products, and the levels of naturally occurring hormones in the sample products were within normal ranges.
He said doctors who examined the three infants found the cases of premature development were not serious and there were no national statistics suggesting a prevalence of premature development.
Professor Wu Xueyan, an expert in endocrine research at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told the press conference that the premature development of the three infant girls should be diagnosed as "minimal puberty," usually seen among infant boys up to six months and girls up to two years.
"Minimal puberty" as a natural result of hormone secretion would make infants develop prematurely, Wu said. Girl infants under two years who are sensitive to hormone secretion could grow breasts.
He said the experts studied the medical histories, clinical symptoms and chemical tests of the three girls. "The three infants did not show premature development of bones or height, and the growth of their breasts was within the normal range of minimal puberty," Wu said.
Asked to comment on the increase of premature development cases over the past decade, Wu attributed it to greater awareness of the problem.
"I believe more parents will pay attention to the problem after this incident, which might trigger a rise in hospital visits and more such diagnoses," Wu said.
Shao Bing, a researcher with the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said experts from different medical institutes took part in the tests.
"The samples were delivered by the Ministry of Health, each was given a number, but with no trademark," Shao said. "The testing method was widely applied during the Beijing Olympic Games."
Synutra International said yesterday the company appreciated the ministry's prompt investigation.
The company's website yesterday carried a letter written by is President Zhang Liang, expressing regret for the panic and the public concern over the company's products.
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