food protein allergy milk powder

The core function of allergenic milk powder for babies with food protein allergies (clinically known as "food protein allergy special medical purpose infant formula") is to reduce the allergenicity of milk proteins through technological processing and provide adequate nutrition for allergic babies. However, there are no unified purchase standards, and not all milk powder labeled "hypoallergenic" can treat allergies. The specific selection must be based on the baby's allergy level and allergen type and should be used in accordance with the doctor's advice. You must not blindly follow the trend in purchasing.

Last week, I met a mother at the child nutrition clinic. She was crying with anxiety while holding her 6-month-old baby. The baby's face was covered in red rashes. She also had a bloody stool sample in her trouser pocket. She said she was found to be allergic to cow's milk protein. She bought a popular deeply hydrolyzed milk powder from the Internet. After drinking it for half a month, the condition became worse. I took the milk powder can and took a look. Not to mention that the ingredients contained soy protein isolate (her baby happened to be intolerant to soy protein as well). It didn’t even have the national food annotation starting with TY that is required for special medical food. It was just an ordinary solid drink. Isn’t this just a scam?

In fact, many people don't know that the core difference between allergenic milk powder is the degree of protein hydrolysis. To put it bluntly, it means "cutting" the allergy-prone milk protein macromolecules into smaller pieces. Cut into individual amino acids, it is an amino acid formula. It is completely non-allergenic, and it is no problem for children with severe allergies to drink it. ； Short peptides that are cut slightly larger are deeply hydrolyzed and are less than 1% allergenic than ordinary milk powder. They are suitable for most children with mild to moderate allergies. ； As for the moderately hydrolyzed product that is only half-cut, it is not for babies who already have allergies. It is for babies whose parents have a history of allergies and are at high risk of allergies to prevent allergies. Many maternal and child stores tout this as a miracle drug that can cure allergies. I don’t know how many babies have been fooled.

Regarding the choice of milk powder for allergies, in fact, the academic community has always had different tendencies. Guidelines from many nutrition associations in Europe and the United States recommend that as long as cow's milk protein allergy is diagnosed, amino acid formula can be used directly. The advantage is that the allergen can be quickly and completely avoided, and the allergy can avoid repeated triggering of subsequent allergic rhinitis and asthma. The disadvantage is that the amino acid formula is really bitter, like unsweetened bitter melon water. Many children refuse to drink it, and it is also expensive. Drinking it a month costs at least 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, and ordinary families are under great pressure. Many domestic clinical pediatricians recommend a step-by-step option. Try deep hydrolysis first. As long as the allergy symptoms subside after drinking it, there is no need to use amino acids. It will be more acceptable to the baby and save money. In fact, both options are correct. The core depends on the baby's allergies and the family's acceptance.

To be honest, I have encountered something even more outrageous before. The baby was allergic to the point of bleeding in the stool. The parents listened to the old man saying that "goat milk powder is not allergic" and gave the baby fresh goat milk. The result was that the diarrhea became more severe. Don't believe the nonsense about goat milk powder and camel milk powder being able to prevent allergies. As long as it is animal milk protein, it has more than 80% homology with cow's milk protein. Most of the babies allergic to cow's milk protein are also allergic to goat milk powder. It cannot replace the special medical allergy milk powder.

There are also many parents who are confused about how long they should drink milk powder for allergies, and this controversy is not small. Doctors in the allergy department generally recommend that the baby should drink it for at least 6 months, or wait until the baby is 9-12 months old and allergy symptoms have completely disappeared before slowly switching to regular milk powder. The fear is that the allergy will recur too early and the allergy process will be prolonged. However, many doctors in the gastroenterology department believe that as long as the symptoms are stable for more than 3 months, you can try adding ordinary milk powder in small doses to gradually exercise the baby's gastrointestinal tolerance. Otherwise, if you keep drinking fully hydrolyzed milk powder, the baby's gastrointestinal system will not be exercised, and the baby will be prone to allergies when supplementary food is added in the future. I generally recommend that parents take the opinions of both sides into account, and do an allergen review first to see if the IgE antibodies for protein allergy have decreased, and then try slowly, don't hold on to it, and don't act too hastily.

In fact, in the final analysis, there is really no "top" or "best" formula for allergenic milk powder. If other people use good milk powder, your child may still be allergic to it. Don’t just read Xiaohongshu and buy indiscriminately to see what others are doing, and don’t listen to the shopping guides in maternal and child stores bragging about the “latest formula.” First, take your baby to the hospital to find out the degree of allergy and which proteins it is allergic to, and then use the results to ask the doctor to recommend a suitable product. When buying, check the package to see if there is a special medical food number starting with TY, which is more reliable than anything else. After all, the comfort of your baby's tummy is more important than anything else.