Giving Newborns Cow's Milk Early Wards off Allergies

TEL AVIV, IsraelGiving cow's milk to a newborn within the first few weeks of life increases tolerance and lowers the risk of the child developing cow's milk protein allergy, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Researchers studied 13,019 infants and found that 66 (0.5 percent) tested positive for the milk allergy. Infants first fed cow's milk at the age of 15 days or more had 19 times the risk of developing cow's milk allergy relative to those exposed during the first two weeks of life.

The researchers also found no link between cow's milk and soy allergies, despite some earlier estimates that up to one in three children with the first allergy also suffered from the second.