Treating Cow Milk Allergy with Amino Acid-based Hypoallergenic Formula
Only amino acid-based formulas are suitable for the treatment of both mild-moderate and severe Cow Milk Allergy because not all infants with Cow Milk Allergy respond to protein hydrolysate formulas. Formulas based on pure, non-milk derived amino acids are always effective.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The amino acid-based formula is easy for children to digest and should alleviate cow milk allergy symptoms.
| |
Whole Protein | Amino Acids |
Amino acid-based formulas play a key role in the dietary management of infants with a
variety of diseases (they provide complete nutritional support for infants with cow milk allergy and multiple food protein intolerance) and have a distinct advantage over hydrolyzed protein-based formulas: that are proven safe for use in severely allergic infants who cannot tolerate soy formulas or protein hydrolyzed formulas.
Cow Milk Allergy symptoms may start improving after 3-5 days of taking an amino acid-base formula (AAF) although many children take longer to see improvements. Most children tend to improve within two weeks.
Studies assessing infants with suspected Cow Milk Allergy and persistent symptoms on extensively hydrolysed protein formulas, who were given an amino acid-based formula has shown the following results:
- in one experiment, all infants stabilised on amino acid-based formula resulted in the resolution of symptoms and weight gain, in complete remission within 2 weeks of using amino acid-based formula. Moreover, infants with poor growth caused by food protein hypersensitivity were able to achieve normal growth during a rich diet of amino acid-based formula feeding;
- another experiment studied the effectiveness of an amino acid-based formula eaten by infants with symptoms suggestive of the formula protein allergy; whilst they were receiving an extensively hydrolysed formula (eHF). The infants with Cow Milk Allergy described in this article did not respond to a casein hydrolized formula (cHF) and required an amino acid-based formula to resolve their symptoms.
In terms of a diagnostic exclusion diet, amino acid formulas are favoured over extensively hydrolysed formulas as they clearly and definitively exclude Cow Milk Allergy in non-responders.
Use of amino acid-based formula in children with cow milk allergy helps to reach faster diagnosis (with reduced need to monitor and investigate) and permits a speedier resolution of symptoms: gastrointestinal symptoms regress in just 3 days; other symptoms - including cutaneous disorders as eczema and atopic dermatitis – relief in 14 days, even in extremely sensitive infants. Exclusive feeding with amino acid-based formula has been shown to be the most effective way of treating eosinophilic esophagitis.
Learn more on treatments with hypoallergenic infant formula…