A Perspective on Partially Hydrolyzed Protein Infant Formula In Non-Exclusively Breastfed Infants

• Published in: Korean journal of pediatrics
• Main Authors: Vandenplas, Yvan, Munasir, Zakiudin, Hegar, Badriul, Kumarawati, Dewi, Suryawan, Ahmad, Kadim, Muzal, Djais, Julistio Tb, Basrowi, Ray Wagiu, Krisnamurti, Deni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 14.01.2019
• Subjects: Non-breastfed infants; Hydrolysate; Infant feeding; Partial hydrolysate; Cow’s milk protein allergy; Breastfeeding
• ISSN: 1738-1061

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six month of life to provide optimal nutrition in this critical period of life. After this, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to 2 years of age or beyond. For non-breastfed infants, infant formula is an available option to provide the nutrition needed. Infant formula is usually made from industrially-modified cow's milk and processed to adjust for the nutritional need of infants. However, cow's milk is one of the most common causes of food allergy, affecting 2%-5% of all formula fed infants during their first year of life. One strategy to prevent cow's milk allergy in non-breastfed infants is the use of partially hydrolyzed formula (pHF) in high-risk infants, which are infants born in families with atopic disease. However, based on an epidemiological study about half of the infants that will develop allergy are not part of the at-risk group. This is due to the fact that the non-at-risk group is significantly larger than the at-risk group, and that non-at risk infants have a ~15% genetic risk to become allergic. The objectives of this paper were to review the evidence of pHF whey formula for non-breastfed infants, not only to prevent of atopic disease in high-risk infants but also as routine starter formula regardless of the allergic risk status.