section name header

Evidence summaries

Cow's Milk Protein Avoidance and Risk of Childhood Wheeze

Breast-milk should remain the feed of choice for all babies. If breast-feeding is not possible, avoiding cow's milk appears to reduce the risk of developing asthma or wheeze in the first year of life in families with atopy. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review 1 [withdrawn from the Cochrane library] included 10 trials. Six trials used hydrolysed formula for at least 4 months in addition to dietary restrictions and in some cases dust-mite reduction measures. The risk of infants experiencing asthma or wheeze during the first year of life was reduced compared to standard cow's milk based formula (RR =0.40, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.85). Feeding soya-based formula as opposed to standard cow's milk formula did not reduce the risk of having asthma or wheeze at any age.

    References

    • Ram FSF, Ducharme FM, Scarlett J. Cow's milk protein avoidance and development of childhood wheeze in children with a family history of atopy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(1):CD003795 [withdrawn from the Cochrane library].

Primary/Secondary Keywords