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Soy infant formula: is it that bad?
Author(s) -
Vandenplas Yvan,
De Greef Elisabeth,
Devreker Thierry,
Hauser Bruno
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.02021.x
Subject(s) - medicine , infant formula , breastfeeding , pediatrics , lactase , food science , chemistry , lactose
The objective of this study is to review the indications of soy infant formula (SIF). Structured review of publications is made available through standard search engines (Pubmed,…). The medical indications for SIF are limited to galactosaemia and hereditary lactase deficiency. In the treatment of cow’s milk allergy, SIF is used for economic reasons, as extensive hydrolysates are expensive. SIF is dissuaded mainly because of its phytooestrogen content. Isoflavone serum levels are much higher in SIF‐fed infants than in breastfed or cow milk formula–fed infants. Administration of pure isoflavones to animals causes decreased fertility, but clinically relevant adverse effects of SIF in infants are not reported. Conclusion: Soy infant formula remains an option for feeding of term born infants if breastfeeding is not possible and if standard infant formula is not tolerated.