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 .
Immune Status of Infants Fed Soy-Based Formulas With or Without Added Nucleotides for 1 Year: Part 2: Immune Cell Populations
Background Infants fed a soy protein isolate – based formula  have immunization responses similar to breast-fed infants . However , cellular aspects of the immunologic development of soy-fed infants have not been studied extensively . Nucleotides added to milk-based formula benefit infant immune status , but reports of the immunologic effects of adding nucleotides to soy-based formula are not available . This study examines immune cell population s of infants fed soy protein isolate formulas with and without added nucleotides for 1 year . Methods Newborn , term infants studied in a masked 12-month feeding trial were assigned  r and omly to soy formula groups with and without added nucleotides  ( n = 94 , n = 92 ) . A nonr and omized human milk/formula-fed cohort ( n = 81 )  , was concurrently enrolled . Blood sample s were collected at 6 , 7 , and 12 months . Thirty-two immune cell population s were characterized using three-color flow cytometry . Cellular markers were chosen to assess general pediatric immune status , emphasizing maturation and activation of B , T , and NK lymphocytes . Results All cell population s , number and percentages , were within age-related normal ranges . The only significant difference found between  soy formula and human milk/formula-fed infants was the percentage of CD57 + NK T cells at 12 months ( human milk/formula > soy formula , P = 0.034 ) . There were significant differences at some time points between human milk/formula-fed and nucleotide-supplemented soy formula – fed infants in population s of lymphocytes , eosinophils , total T , helper T , naive helper , memory/effector helper , CD57−T , and CD11b+CD8+NK cells . None of the cell population s differed between infants fed  soy formula  versus soy plus nucleotides  . Conclusions Infants fed this commercial soy formula  demonstrated immune cell status similar to human milk/formula-fed infants , consistent with normal immune system development . The addition of nucleotides to soy formula did not significantly change specific individual immune cell population s but tended to increase numbers and percentages of T cells and decreased numbers and percentages of NK cells
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 .