Infants receiving formula supplemented with DHA performed better on a cognitive test than infants who were given formula without it. DHA occurs naturally in breast milk.

    But while doctors say the evidence may support formula containing a DHA supplement over formula without one, they are concerned that the study may be the first test toward marketing a replacement for breast milk. The formula used in the study was provided to the researchers by a manufacturing company for free.

    A woman is shown breast-feeding her child, left, and another giving her baby a bottle with formula.

    One pediatrician notes that in her own practice, some mothers are convinced that formula with DHA can be superior to breast milk.

    The marketing has actually dissuaded mothers from choosing exclusive breast-feeding, which is preferred from all the outcomes that we understand.

    Simply adding DHA -- while it may top other infant formula -- would not make it superior to breast milk.

    There are many other factors in human milk that also support neurocognitive development and visual acuity.

    It is clear that the food industry fascination with nutraceuticals （strategically fortified food products） is now spreading into infant formula. This is a disturbing new development. Now parents will be encouraged to forego breast-feeding -- which is optimal for both mothers and babies -- in favor of a hyped up infant formula.

    Breast milk has other benefits not related to mental development. Breast-feeding confers protection against infection, including viral infections, and the CDC promotes breast-feeding to confer maximal protection against swine flu and other infections.

    Furthermore, because infants who display superior performance on the means-end problem solving task tend to have superior IQ and vocabulary later in childhood, it's possible that the beneficial effects of DHA extend well beyond infancy.

    In the contentious field of breast-feeding, sharp replies to anything suggesting a replacement for breast milk are almost inevitable.

    食用补充了二十二碳六烯酸配方奶粉的婴儿，在认知能力测试上的表现要比食用不含此类物质的婴儿更好。二十二碳六烯酸天然存在于母乳中。

    但是，尽管医生表明，这一证据可以支持包含二十二碳六烯酸增补剂的配方奶粉优于不含该物质的配方奶粉的说法，他们仍然担心这项研究可能成为市场营销母乳替代品的第一次试验。研究中使用的配方奶粉是由一家生产企业免费提供给研究人员的。

    显示一名妇女正在哺乳自己的孩子，左边，另一名妇女正用奶瓶给她的孩子喂配方奶粉。

    一位儿科医生指出，在她自己的实践中，一些母亲确信含二十二碳六烯酸的配方奶粉可能优于母乳。

    这一市场营销实际上劝阻了母亲们选择独一无二的母乳喂养方式，这一优于我们了解的所有研究成果的方式。

    仅仅添加二十二碳六烯酸――尽管可能优于其它的婴儿配方奶粉――并不能使它优于母乳。

    人奶中有很多其它因素还可以促进神经认知能力的发展和视觉敏锐性。

    很显然，伴随着营养食品（战略性强化食品）而来的食品工业的魅力正在蔓延到婴儿配方奶粉上来。这是一个令人不安的新的发展。现在家长们会被鼓励放弃母乳喂养--它对母亲和婴儿都有好处--用方兴未艾的婴儿配方奶粉代替。

    母乳还有与智力发育无关的其它方面的好处。母乳育婴可提供防感染保护，包括病毒感染，并且疾病预防控制中心大力推进母乳喂养，以便为预防猪流感及其他传染病提供最大的保护。

    此外，由于那些在"手段--目的"类问题解决任务上表现优秀的婴儿往往在儿童期后期具有较高的智商和词汇量，二十二碳六烯酸的有利影响可能远远超过婴儿时期。

    在有争议的母乳喂哺领域，不赞成任何替代母乳的建议几乎是不可避免的。