Major metabolic changes occur in the human neonate during the transition from fetal life where glucose is the major energy fuel to extrauterine life with fatty acids and ketone bodies serving as a fuel alternative to glucose.
For babies, L-Carnitine can be considered an essential nutrient since L-Carnitine biosynthesis is not yet fully developed. Therefore, babies are highly dependent on exogenous sources to build up L-Carnitine levels in blood and tissue. Fortunately, breast milk contains natural L-Carnitine. However, soy protein contain no detectable levels of this nutrient and cow's milk formulas lose some L-Carnitine during processing. In light of these findings, it is not surprising that lower serum L-Carnitine levels and higher serum free fatty acids were reported in full term neonates fed L-Carnitine-free soy formula.
It is a positive development that both soy-based and cow's milk-based infant formulas are now routinely fortified with L-Carnitine. |
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