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 .
Comparison of Breast, Cow, and Soy Feedings in the Prevention of Onset of Allergic Disease
It has been reported that the feeding of cow 's milk may enhance the development of atopy in predisposed infants . A prospect i ve study following children from birth through 15 years of age in a private pediatric practice was design ed to determine if the food ingested during the first months of life is related to the development of atopy in the offspring of allergic families . Each of 328 children with a positive family history of allergy was assigned to one of three groups . according to the feeding preference of the parents : 48 were fed breast milk ; 79 , soy-based formula ; and 201 , cow 's milk formula . All groups had egg , citrus , tomato , and wheat restrictions as well as inhalant allergen avoidance . These were compared to a control group of 580 children with no family history of allergy . Breast fed infants were found to have approximately one-half the incidence of atopy of cow 's milk or soy formula fed infants from atopic families when followed for up to 15 years . Soy feeding produced no advantage over cow 's milk in the prophylaxis of allergic disease . There was a threefold increase in clinical ly apparent atopic disease in offspring of allergic families when compared to controls but only a two-fold increase if the infant was breast fed . These results support the hypothesis that breast feeding and delay of exposure to known allergens may reduce the frequency of clinical allergic disease in the offspring of allergic families
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 .