Thirty percent of Chinese women are unable to breast feed their babies for various reasons, which impairs the normal growth of their infants at the same percentage, said Ding Zongyi, a celebrated Chinese professor on baby medical science, on Monday.

Heavy workload and life pressures or physical conditions, including the lack of milk, were major reasons leading to young mothers' failure to breast feed, Ding said.

Health experts regard mother's milk as the best and most ideal food for newborns because it can help babies improve their immune system.

Though Chinese women have a long tradition of breast feeding, breast feeding rates in the country, however, dropped greatly over recent years. Many mothers mistakenly believed that using substitutions, such as various kinds of milk powder available on the market, was more nutritious, said experts.

Ding noted that the artificial-formula milk powder fell far short of lactalbumin, a key nutrient in breast milk.

According to Ding, lactalbumin, full of tryptophan, takes up 27 percent, also the largest proportion, of the total protein amount in breast milk. The particular protein content can affect the sleep, appetite and mood of babies.

US Wyeth milk powder, which contained up to 18 percent of lactalbumin in its formula, was the milk powder most approaching breast milk in the Chinese market, he acknowledged.

China's research on milk powder formula containing lactalbumin was still lagging behind developed countries.

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