What are nucleotides?

Nucleotides help build DNA.

Nucleotides found in breastmilk are a special family of carbohydrates that form the building blocks of DNA for cell growth and immune system development [1]. As a newborn is busy building new cells and tissues, nucleotides provide key foundational nutrition support. The 5 nucleotides most relevant to infant nutrition are Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, Thymine and Uracil.

Nucleotides in baby formula

Multiple research studies have shown that infants fed formula supplemented with nucleotides display improved head growth [2, 3], which is an indicator of increased intelligence in later life [4]. These studies also determined that healthy weight gain was improved in babies that consume nucleotide-enriched formula [2, 3]. Baby formula containing nucleotides (when compared to those that do not contain them) has also been shown to improve your baby’s response to vaccinations [5]!

References

1. Wang et al. PLoS One. 2015; 10(6): e0127758
2. Singhal et al. Pediatrics. 2010 Oct;126(4):e946-53.
3. Wang et al. Eur J Nutr. 2019 Apr;58(3):1213-1221.
4. Gale et al. Pediatrics. 2006 Oct;118(4):1486-92.
5. Pickering et al. Pediatrics. 1998 Feb;101(2):242-9.

from an Expert Author

Christopher Halkias

BSc (Hons), PhD – R&I Project Manager

Christopher Halkias is a biomedical scientist with extensive experience across many of the research institutions of Melbourne. He was awarded a PhD in Biomedical Science from RMIT University in 2018. His research interests include pharmacology, pathology, immunology and the use of natural products for therapeutic benefit.

Christopher has published multiple peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, led scientific research within significant commercial projects and is an award-winning academic teacher. Through his efforts in research and teaching, he has an extensive understanding of science, and aims to communicate this knowledge to the Nurture Central family.

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