A new study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, demonstrates for the first time that InFat, a high beta-palmitate fat blend, provides beneficial effects for the health and well-being of formula-fed infants. InFat is produced by Advanced Lipids, a joint venture between AAK and Enzymotec. Officials say a double-blind, randomized, multi-center study showed a significant increase in Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria abundance in the microbiota, shifting the flora composition to be more comparable to breast-fed infants. This study was conducted at the Neonatology departments of Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, and Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel, and sponsored by Enzymotec. The microflora analyses were performed by Sima Yaron, Ph.D., at Israel’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion Institute of Technology. Officials say the study explored the effect of InFat on the intestinal flora of term infants. The clinical trial included 36 term infants, 14 breast-fed and 22 formula-fed, who were randomly assigned to receive either formula with InFat (high beta-palmitate) or a control formula (standard vegetable oil mix) that did not contain any pre- or probiotics. Stool samples were collected at enrollment and at six weeks post-natal for the quantification of different bacteria constituting the gut flora. InFat is a patented, clinically-proven fat blend (beta-palmitate structured lipids) for infant formula with a high percentage of palmitic acid in its sn-2 position. This mimics the unique composition of human milk fat, which is highly conserved in all women’s breast milk, and thereby enables optimized uptake of calcium and energy, as well as ease of digestion. Recently, InFat has been shown to benefit bone strength parameters in term infants after 12 weeks of feeding.