Unlike the conclusions of the revised Cochrane review the export group set up by the Section on Paediatrics , European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology ( SP-EAACI ) do not find that the exclusion of the four trials dem and s a change of the previous recommendations regarding primary dietary prevention of allergic diseases .
Based on analysis of published peer- review ed observational and interventional studies the results still indicate that breastfeeding is highly recommended for all infants irrespective of atopic heredity .
A dietary regimen is effective in the prevention of allergic diseases in high-risk infants , particularly in early infancy regarding food allergy and eczema .
The most effective dietary regimen is exclusively breastfeeding for at least 4 - 6 months or , in absence of breast milk , formulas with documented reduced allergenicity for at least the first 4 months , combined with avoidance of solid food and cow 's milk for the first 4 months
Five-year follow-up of high-risk infants with family history of allergy who were exclusively breast-fed or fed partial whey hydrolysate, soy, and conventional cow's milk formulas.
BACKGROUND Allergy is a common cause of illness . The effect of feeding different infant formulas on the incidence of atopic disease and food allergy was assessed in a prospect i ve r and omized double-blind study of high-risk infants with a family history of atopy . METHODS 216 high-risk infants whose mothers had elected not to breast-feed were r and omized to receive exclusively a partial whey hydrolysate formula or a conventional cow 's milk formula or a soy formula until 6 months of age . Seventy-two high risk infants breast-fed for > or = 4 months were also studied . RESULTS Follow-up until 5 years of age showed a significant lowering in the cumulative incidence of atopic disease in the breast-fed ( odds ratio 0.422 [ 0.200 - 0.891 ] ) and the whey hydrolysate ( odds ratio 0.322 [ 0.159 - 0.653 ) groups , compared with the conventional cow 's milk group . Soy formula was not effective ( odds ratio 0.759 [ 0.384 - 1.501 ] ) . The occurrence of both eczema and asthma was lowest in the breast-fed and whey hydrolysate groups and was comparable in the cow 's milk and soy groups . Similar significant differences were noted in the 18 - 60 month period prevalence of eczema and asthma . Eczema was less severe in the whey hydrolysate group compared with the other groups . Double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges showed a lower prevalence of food allergy in the whey hydrolysate group compared with the other formula groups . CONCLUSIONS Exclusive breast-feeding or feeding with a partial whey hydrolysate formula is associated with lower incidence of atopic disease and food allergy . This is a cost-effective approach to the prevention of allergic disease in children
Unlike the conclusions of the revised Cochrane review the export group set up by the Section on Paediatrics , European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology ( SP-EAACI ) do not find that the exclusion of the four trials dem and s a change of the previous recommendations regarding primary dietary prevention of allergic diseases .
Based on analysis of published peer- review ed observational and interventional studies the results still indicate that breastfeeding is highly recommended for all infants irrespective of atopic heredity .
A dietary regimen is effective in the prevention of allergic diseases in high-risk infants , particularly in early infancy regarding food allergy and eczema .
The most effective dietary regimen is exclusively breastfeeding for at least 4 - 6 months or , in absence of breast milk , formulas with documented reduced allergenicity for at least the first 4 months , combined with avoidance of solid food and cow 's milk for the first 4 months