Is soy formula safe for babies?

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Soy milk formula is a substitute for cow's milk formula. Some parents use this product for ethical or environmental reasons, while others believe soy milk can help relieve colic, prevent allergies, or reduce their child's risk of illness. after that. However, the use of soy formula is not safe for all babies.

1. Soy milk formula and other formula milk

All infant formula products are required to meet certain criteria for composition, purity, and nutritional content. It is this regulation that helps ensure that all baby formulas meet your baby's nutritional needs, no matter what they're made of.
Thus, soy formula products have the same number of calories and important nutrients as other formulas. Therefore, all products have the same ability to meet the needs of baby's growth and development.

2. Is soy formula perfect for baby's health?

There are some parents who like to use soy milk, thinking that this is the best choice for their baby's current and future health. This belief may stem from studies linking a diet rich in soy with the risk of certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease,...
However, until now Currently we do not have enough evidence to prove that using soy formula for babies can help reduce the risk of developing diseases later in life. We also do not have any clear evidence that eating soy milk reduces digestive problems such as abdominal pain, or resistance to allergies, etc. More research is still needed to be able to draw conclusions. discussion on this issue.
Experts agree that soy milk is the most appropriate choice for babies born at term but with galactose deficiency or lactase deficiency, which means that infants will not be able to break down the natural sugars in cow's milk.
Soy formula is also the most suitable choice for vegan families. Although vitamin D3 found in most soy formula products is now derived from sheep lanolin. But this is the closest available option for a purely vegan powdered milk product.

3. Are soy isoflavones harmful to babies?

Soy infant formula is rich in isoflavones, a plant compound that is structurally similar to the hormone estrogen. Babies fed soy milk usually get more soy isoflavones than babies fed breast milk or other formula. Later on, these babies also tended to use soy isoflavones more than those who enjoyed soy as part of a varied diet. It is because of this that some people fear that the use of soy formula may cause estrogen-like effects. This fear was further compounded when older animal studies showed different abnormalities in animals exposed to high levels of soy isoflavones.
However, you need to know that estrogen is stronger than the isoflavones in soy. The second is that the way animals metabolize soy isoflavones is different from the way humans metabolize them.
Therefore, human studies have not generally observed any significant long-term effects in infants fed soy milk. There was little or no difference in sexual development, brain development, thyroid and immune function.

4. Things to consider when using soy formula

Higher aluminum and phytate content: Soy formula products tend to contain higher levels of aluminum than other formulas and breast milk. High levels of aluminum in milk can negatively affect the development of your baby's brain and bone mass.
Preterm infants as well as those with birth weight less than 1.8 kg or with reduced kidney function appear to be at greatest risk. Babies born healthy do not have this risk.
Soybeans are also high in natural phytates - a compound that can reduce the absorption of nutrients found in foods. Theoretically, this could lead to children eating soy milk not getting enough nutrition. However, to date, there are no studies to confirm this.
May make menstrual periods in girls longer, more painful: Some studies show that girls who eat soy milk start their periods on average 5 months earlier and Menstruation lasts more than 9 hours on average.
One study also linked soy milk use with a higher risk of endometriosis. Another study noted that infants fed soy formula from birth to 9 months of age appeared to experience differences in gene activation and vaginal cell changes compared with infants who were breastfed. girls who eat breast milk or other formula.
However, more research needs to be done to determine if these differences lead to any significant long-term health effects.

5. Which babies should use soy formula?

Soy milk formula has been used to nourish healthy infants for over 100 years with few reports of long-term health problems. Therefore, formula soy milk can be considered a suitable choice for most babies.
However, health organizations also do not recommend their widespread use because they offer less nutritional advantages over cow's milk.
Therefore, the use of formula soy milk is only recommended for the following cases:
For a vegan family. Full-term babies with galactosemia or hereditary lactase deficiency.

6. When should you not eat soy milk formula?

Although considered safe for full-term, healthy infants, soy formulas are not a good choice for all babies. Because higher levels of aluminum in soy milk can lead to weaker bones in babies born prematurely, weighing less than 1.8kg, or with reduced kidney function.
Soy milk may not be a good choice for children who are intolerant or allergic to cow's milk proteins. Because up to half of the children in this group are intolerant to soy protein. In this case, hydrolyzed formula may be a more appropriate choice.
Although soy formula can be used to help infants grow and develop optimally. But these products also do not offer superior benefits over cow's milk formula products.
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Reference source: healthline.com
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