Soy protein for the prevention and treatment of children with cow-milk allergy

Soy-protein formulas are widely used for feeding babies with cow-milk aller gy. When they first were marketed, these formulas were the only available c ow-milk substitute and they ensured a normal life for many children who wer e affected by the large spectrum of clinical manifestations of cow-milk all ergy. Soy-protein formulas were also given to allergy-prone infants for the prevention of atopic diseases when breast milk was not available. Several researchers studied the prevalence of soy sensitization in allergic disease . Few studies used a challenge test for the diagnosis of soy allergy, even those in patients in whom soy allergy was suspected. In most studies the di agnosis of soy allergy was based on anecdotal case histories reported by pa rents and was not substantiated by scientific diagnostic criteria: no chall enge test to soy was made nor were data available on specific immunoglobuli n E to soy. In this paper we critically reviewed literature on the safety o f feeding soy-protein formulas to babies with cow-milk allergy as well as o n the prevention of cow-milk allergy.