MANAGEMENT of the allergic infant often includes extensive dietary restriction in addition to avoidance of milk. A milkfree formula may thus become a major or even sole source of most essential nutrients for many months. Furthermore, the occasional coexistence of anorexia and intercurrent infection in children with allergic manifestations, and losses of proteinthrough the skin of patients with severe eczema, makes adequacy of diet a major concern of the physician caring for such patients.
Published reports of deficiency diseases developing in infants receiving various milk-free formulas indicate the importance of an awareness of composition and nutritional properties of these diets. Deficiencies of vitamin A and thiamine, have occurred in infants receiving milk-free formulas not fortified with vitamins, and goiter due to iodine deficiency (or increased iodine requirement) has been reported to occur in infants receiving a soya bean formula unsupplemented with iodine.
The present report provides information regarding composition and nutritional adequacy of certain infant formulas commonly employed as cow milk substitutes.
SOYA BEAN PRODUCTS
Composition
Information on the composition of the most frequently used commercial preparations is given in Table I.
Soyalac: Liquid and powder products are prepared from an aqueous extrat of whole soya beans to which has been added soya oil, sucrose, dextrose, dextrins, maltose, and iodised sodium chloride, When diluted with water to supply 67 cal/100 ml (20 cal/oz). Soyalac liquid supplies 2.05 gm of protein/100 ml, the least protein content of commercially available soya bean formulas. Formulas of Soyalac Powder with the same caloric strength provide 2.85 gm of protein/100 ml and differ in other important respects from Soyalac liquid (Table I).
EFFECT OF AN ORAL ELEMENTAL DIET ON NITROGEN BALANCE AND PLASMA AMINO ACIDS