Cow's Milk Formula and Infantile Colic

Abstract

No experienced pediatric clinician doubts the existence of cow's milk allergy in infants. The controversy concerns how often cow's milk proteins cause excessive crying or "colic" in otherwise well young infants. Three interesting papers from our colleagues in Malmö, Sweden, leave the question unanswered despite the considerable sophistication in their research design. In their first report in 1982, they concluded that in a double-blind study "cow's milk seems to be a major cause of infantile colic in formula-fed infants." However, in the only part that was double-blind, fewer infants improved while receiving soy formula (18%) than did those receiving cow's milk formula (29%).