Soy-Based Formula in the Treatment of Infantile

Abstract

Twenty-two infants hospitalized for severe, nonbacterial diarrhea were given at random either soy-protein, isolate formula or skim milk formula, following a variable period of intravenous rehydration. There was no difference in admission weight, age, duration of diarrhea, number of stools on the day prior to admission, or degree of dehydration between the two groups. The infants receiving skim milk had many more treatment failures. There was no great difference in serum electrolyte concentrations in the two feeding groups. The data suggest that during the recovery phase of gastroenteritis in young infants, a lactose-free, soy-based formula has definite advantages.