Written by: Parker Danowski, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Newly published research from investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles highlights the relationship between different infant feeding strategies on blood sugar control and variability in early life.

The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition– Opens in a new window, found that infants fed with corn syrup solid-based formulas—the main carbohydrate in products most often labeled “gentle” or “sensitive”—had less stable blood sugar control than infants fed with human milk or lactose-based formulas. The study also identified a subgroup of infants with especially unstable blood sugar levels, indicating that some children might be more sensitive to certain types of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate differences across infant formulas

Formula feeding is a common practice within the U.S. and across the globe, and the researchers leading this study emphasize that this research should be interpreted in context. “Infant formula is a safe and important source of nutrition for many families,” says Michael I. Goran, PhD, from CHLA’s Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Dr. Goran is the new study’s lead investigator, Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Southern California Center for Chronic Disease Research and Prevention. “Our results highlight an opportunity to better understand how specific components of formula may influence early physiology that may relate to future health risks, which is very much in line with ongoing efforts to optimize formula composition at the Federal level.”

Michael I. Goran, PhD.

Readily available infant formulas vary dramatically in their carbohydrate composition, with only some formulas containing lactose. Lactose is the primary carbohydrate in human milk and serves as the main source of energy derived from carbohydrates in breastmilk. All infant formulas are significantly different from human breastmilk, but while some infant formulas are lactose-based, more than half of all formulas sold in the United States instead use non-lactose carbohydrates. These alternate carbohydrates include corn syrup solids, which are made up entirely of glucose. Potential associations between the consumption of these non-lactose carbohydrates and glucose control during early infancy have not been well studied or understood—until now.

The study recruited 45 six-month-old infants and used minimally invasive, wearable continuous glucose monitors that measured the level of glucose in their blood every 15 minutes for 3-8 days while they were at home. The infants were divided into three groups: one group was fed human milk; another fed a lactose-based formula; and a third fed a formula that contained corn syrup solids. Researchers compared the glycemic variability, or the variation in blood sugar levels over time, among the three groups.

Infant responses to carbohydrate types are not uniform

The results of the study showed that patterns in glycemic variability were similar between the infants fed human milk and those fed a lactose-based formula, while the children consuming corn syrup solid-based formula had greater glycemic variability, with more frequent swings in their blood sugar levels.

By analyzing the study data, the researchers also identified unique patterns of glucose regulation across the infants. Specifically, all infants in the subgroup categorized by the most extreme glycemic instability had been fed corn syrup-based formula—none of the infants from the study’s other feeding groups made this category. This suggests that some children may have dramatic differences in the way their bodies respond to certain carbohydrates during early life.

“Most studies focus on average differences between feeding strategies, but our findings suggest that infant responses are not uniform even when consuming the same carbohydrates,” Dr. Goran explains. “Identifying a subgroup with particularly high glucose variability suggests that some infants may be more sensitive to differences in carbohydrate source.”

Blood sugar control impacts early life—and may affect long-term health

A baby wears a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor as part of the research study. Credit: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

This study’s timing aligns with growing national attention surrounding the composition of infant formula. In 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched an initiative to modernize formula regulations known as Operation Stork Speed. This work convened a panel of experts who identified carbohydrate composition as a major gap in current formula regulations, considering that many formulas in the U.S. use glucose-based carbohydrates like corn syrup solids rather than lactose.

“Our findings provide new evidence that differences in carbohydrate source—particularly glucose-based versus lactose-based—may lead to different metabolic responses in infants and builds on our prior work that shows these types of formula also increase obesity risk in early life,” Dr. Goran says.

Separate studies with other populations have linked glucose variability to metabolic health, such as the risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity, but additional research will be needed to establish if similar implications are applicable during infancy. The researchers point out that this particular study does not confirm long-term health outcomes, but rather raises important questions regarding how early diet can impact the development of a child’s metabolism.

The researchers highlight the need for further studies to explore the mechanisms underlying the differences between the feeding groups in their research, and to confirm if glucose variability early in life has an impact on longer-term metabolic health.

Learn more about the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at CHLA.

The post Carbohydrate Composition of Infant Formula Significantly Associated with Blood Sugar Control, CHLA-Led Study Finds, written by Parker Danowski, first appeared in the CHLA Newsroom.