Bottle feeding - soy infant formulas
Soy; infant; formula; milk; cow; food; protein; lactose; digest; allergic; aluminium; kidney; failure; choice; intolerance; artificial; feed; nutrition; diet; allergy. ;
Contents
Soy infant formulas are infant formulas based on soy milk. Like other infant formulas they are specially prepared to meet the food needs of babies. Where a baby is unable to have cow's milk because of cow's milk allergy or lactose intolerance soy infant formulas may be suggested instead.
Soy milks or soy drinks from the supermarket are not a complete food. These must not be used for infants.
Soy infant formulas
- These are different from the usual cow's milk based infant formulas in two ways:
- they do not contain cow's milk proteins
- they do not contain lactose (milk sugar).
- Thus they can be tried for babies who cannot have cow's milk because
- they are allergic to cow's milk protein- however up to 60% of babies who are allergic to cow's milk protein will also react to soy protein - so it may be better to use a special low-allergy infant formula. A doctor will advise you about this.
- they are lactose intolerant - although cow's milk based lactose free formula is usually recommended for this.
- Soy formulas do not prevent allergy. If a baby at risk of allergies (based on family history) is not breastfed, it is better to use a HA (hypo-allergenic) cows' milk formula.
- Soy formulas have all the nutrition a baby needs for good health and growth.
- Soy formulas and soy milks have more aluminium than cow's milk and cow's milk formulas. This is because the soy bean contains aluminium naturally, so it is unlikely to change. However this is considered to be harmless for normal babies.
- There have been concerns about hormones in soy formulas and milks. It is believed that the levels of these hormones are too low to cause problems.
- It is also possible that babies fed on soy may have lowered immunity. For these reasons it is best to use the normal cow's milk formulas unless there is a medical reason to change.
- Premature babies are at more risk of problems with soy formula, so they should not be used before the baby reaches his due date.
Other choices for medical conditions
- If you have been advised to use soy infant formulas and you do not want to, there is usually another choice.
- There are some cow's milk infant formulas for lactose intolerance. Your doctor can advise you about these.
- Special low allergy infant formulas can be given for cow's milk protein intolerance. These are also lactose free, but they are very expensive without a prescription.
Soy milks
Reasons why soy milks or soy drinks (that are not specially prepared for babies) must not be used for babies:
- They are not a complete food.
- They have too much protein and minerals.
- Soy protein is not a first class protein - it is missing essential amino acids which are important for growth and health (these are added to soy baby formula).
- They don't have enough iron, or enough of some vitamins.
- Most soy milks don't have much calcium, although some have added calcium.
- They have no Vitamin B12 unless this has been added.
Full fat calcium fortified soy beverages are suitable for use after 1 year of age as part of a mixed diet.
Soy and phyto-oestrogens
Soy products contain chemicals which act like hormones. They are called phyto-oestrogens. It is not known if these have any effects on children. The levels are probably too low to have any effect.
Babies have been given soy formulas from birth for many years with no known ill effects, and soy may well have health benefits overall. However it is recommended that soy formula only be used for babies when there is a real medical need. It is unlikely that there would be any problem with using soy as part of a good mixed diet in an older child.
A Paediatric Policy Statement by the Australasian College of Physicians
The 'Soy Protein Formula' Policy includes the following points:
- While no more than 2% of Australians have true milk intolerance, about 10% of the infant formula sold is soy formula.
- There is no evidence that soy formula is nutritionally better than cow's milk formula for normal infants.
- Research comparing cow's milk formula and soy formula in colicky babies has not shown any benefit from soy formula.
- Soy protein can cause intolerance reactions, with up to 40% of infants intolerant of cow's milk also developing soy protein intolerance.
- Studies show that feeding soy formula from birth to infants at increased risk of developing allergies does not have a beneficial effect.
- There are also concerns about specific contents of soy formulas, including essential amino acids, carbohydrate content, aluminium and phytoestrogens.
Netting M 'Are soy beverages suitable for 1-2 year olds?' Nutrition Department, Women's and Children's Hospital, South Australia.
Royal Australasian College of Physicians 'Paediatric Policy - Soy protein formula' 2006
The full booklet 'Bottle feeding - a guide to safe preparation and feeding of infant formula' produced by Children Youth and Women's Health Service is available for downloading: Booklet
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).
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