AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Feeding with a soy formula can not be recommended for prevention of allergy or food intolerance in infants at high risk of allergy or food intolerance .
BACKGROUND Allergies and food reactions in infants and children are common and may be associated with a variety of foods including adapted cow 's milk formula .
Soy based formulas have been used to treat infants with allergy or food intolerance .
However , it is unclear whether they can help prevent allergy and food intolerance in infants without clinical evidence of allergy or food intolerance .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of feeding adapted soy formula compared to human milk , cow 's milk formula or a hydrolysed protein formula on preventing allergy or food intolerance in infants without clinical evidence of allergy or food intolerance .
Nutritional evaluation of protein hydrolysate formulas.
Growth parameters , biochemical indice of protein metabolism and plasma Amino acid ( AA ) concentrations were investigated during the first month of life in term infants ( n = 61 ) fed various protein hydrolysate formulas ( whey ( WHF , n = 3 ) , soy collagen ( SCHF , n = 1 ) and whey-casein hydrolysate formulas ( WCHF , n = 1 ) ) . In addition , metabolic balance studies were performed in 10 infants fed WHF and in 5 fed WCHF . Comparatively to breast fed infants , growth reduction and decrease in plasma protein concentrations were observed with the use of one of the WHF and in a lesser extent with the SCHF and the WCHF . Plasma amino acid pattern reflected the AA content of the formulas . Whey hydrolysate formulas induced mainly an increase in threonine and a decrease in tyrosine concentrations .  Soy-collagen hydrolysate formula led to an increase of non-essential amino acids , such as glycine and hydroxyproline and a decrease in plasma lysine and cystine .  Whey-casein hydrolysate formula induced a plasma amino acid pattern close to the profile observed in breast fed infant . Metabolic balance studies showed a relative reduction in nitrogen absorption and utilisation in the infants fed the WHF and the WCHF . In addition a drastic reduction in fat , calcium and phosphorus absorption was also observed with the use of the WCHF . In preterm infants ( n = 19 ) fed whey predominant hydrolysed preterm formulas ( n = 3 ) , metabolic balance studies an plasma AA concentration were evaluated at the end of the first month of life at 34 weeks of gestation age . Comparatively to similar preterm infants fed conventional preterm formulas , a relative reduction in nitrogen absorption ( 83 % vs 90 % ) and retention ( 64 vs 70 % ) as well as in phosphorus absorption ( 78 vs 89 % ) was observed . Calcium retention was similar ( 48 vs 45 mg/kg/d ) but calcium intake was significantly higher in infants fed hydrolysate formulas 120 vs 91 mg/kg/d . Plasma amino acid concentrations were related to amino acid composition of the formulas . Compared with the st and ard preterm formulas , all three protein hydrolysate formulas led to a significant increase in plasma threonine and a decrease in tyrosine and phenylalanine concentrations . In addition , there was a reduction in plasma histidine , valine , leucine , cystine , methionine and /or tryptophane with some of the hydrolysate formulas used . In conclusion , these studies provide evidence that protein hydrolysed formulas are not equivalent to whole protein formulas in terms of nutritional efficiency for preterm and term infants . Therefore further extensive nutritional studies on growth , biochemical indices of protein metabolism and metabolic balance , including minerals and trace elements , appear to be necessary before maintaining and promoting the use of such formulas for teh potential benefits on atopic disease in preterm and in full-term newborn infants
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Feeding with a soy formula can not be recommended for prevention of allergy or food intolerance in infants at high risk of allergy or food intolerance .
BACKGROUND Allergies and food reactions in infants and children are common and may be associated with a variety of foods including adapted cow 's milk formula .
Soy based formulas have been used to treat infants with allergy or food intolerance .
However , it is unclear whether they can help prevent allergy and food intolerance in infants without clinical evidence of allergy or food intolerance .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of feeding adapted soy formula compared to human milk , cow 's milk formula or a hydrolysed protein formula on preventing allergy or food intolerance in infants without clinical evidence of allergy or food intolerance .