Question:
Can a baby that is lactose intolerant still be breastfeed? Do they have to
go on a soy formula? How do soy formulas measure up to others?
Answer:
Here's a great site that will answer your questions. The basic answer is that
true lactose intolerance in newborns is incredibly rare, and before the advent
of formula would have been fatal. Many people around the world are lactose
intolerant _as adults_, but that's quite different. http://www.nmaa.asn.au/bfinfo/lactose.html
Here's some of the info from this article:
Primary (or true) lactose intolerance is an extremely rare genetic condition
and is incompatible with normal life without medical intervention. A truly
lactose intolerant baby would fail to thrive from birth (ie not even start to
gain weight), and show obvious symptoms of malabsorption and dehydration - a
medical emergency case needing a special diet from soon after birth.
Anything that damages the gut lining, even subtly, can cause secondary lactose
intolerance. The enzyme lactase is produced in the very tips of folds of the
intestine, and anything that causes damage to the gut may wipe off these tips
and reduce the enzyme production, for example
gastroenteritis
food intolerance or allergy (In breastfed babies, this can come from food
proteins, such as cow's milk, soy or egg, in the mother's milk originating in
her diet, as well as from food the baby has eaten.)
coeliac disease (intolerance to the gluten in wheat products)
following bowel surgery
Note that cow's milk protein allergy (or intolerance) is often confused with
lactose intolerance, and they are thought by many people to be the same thing.
This confusion probably arises because cow's milk protein and lactose are both
in the same food, ie dairy products. Also contributing to this confusion is the
fact that allergy or intolerance to this protein can be a cause of secondary
lactose intolerance, so they may be present together.
Secondary lactose intolerance is a temporary state as long as the gut damage
can heal. When the cause of the damage to the gut is removed, for example the
food to which a baby is allergic is taken out of the diet, the gut will heal
even if the baby is still fed breastmilk.
Occasionally it is considered preferable to speed up the healing, and reduce
the immediate symptoms, by reducing the amount of lactose in the diet for a
time, particularly if the baby has been losing weight. In this case, it is
possible to alternate breastfeeding and feeding with a lactose-free infant
formula, or it may sometimes be necessary to temporarily wean onto a
lactose-free infant formula. In the case of a baby recovering from severe
gastroenteritis, average recovery time for the gut is four weeks, but may be up
to eight weeks for a young baby under three months. For older babies, over
about 18 months, recovery may be as rapid as one week. Breastmilk can be tried
weekly to see if the baby has recovered, or it could be gradually introduced.
Depends on what you mean by "lactose intolerant". If you mean "can't
tolerate dairy" then yes, these children can and should be breastfed! If
you mean "has galactosaemia" then no these children cannot be breastfed
and need to go on a lactose-free formula. IMO modified plant juice can never do as well at replacing human milk as
the (modified) milk of another mammal can. Lactose intolerant or cows milk intolerant? A baby who is born unable to
tolerate lactose will never be successfully breastfed, whereas a cowsmilk
intolerant child will probably do best on breastmilk. Soy formulas are very high in aluminium but are nowadays roughly equivalent
to cowsmilk formula in terms of vitamin content. I would be very concerned
about giving a tiny baby soy formula, but I use it on my sons cereal, and
in my own tea, coffee, etc. I believe standard advice is don't,unless under
medical supervision.
