Food Allergy Living Blog Tagged Results

Here at Neocate, we get lots of questions about diapers. I mean lots! Many questions relate to constipation or diarrhea. We’ve posted about constipation in the past, but I thought it would be helpful to pull together our past comments on diarrhea, as well as provide some more medical information on the topic courtesy of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH.

Defining “Diarrhea”

Simply defined, diarrhea is loose, watery stools. It also means having these loose stools three or more times a day. There are more specific guidelines, but most people know diarrhea when they see it. Diarrhea happens to everyone, usually about once a year for adults and twice a year for young children.

Typically, diarrhea is acute, meaning that it lasts one or two days and then goes away. This type of diarrhea is typically caused by an infection. If diarrhea lasts more than two days, it can be something more serious. Diarrhea lasting more than two to four weeks – chronic diarrhea – may be a symptom of a chronic disease or condition.

The concern with diarrhea, especially when it lasts more than two days, is a risk of dehydration. Our bodies absorb most of the water and some minerals at the end of our digestive tract. When we have diarrhea we can’t absorb those things, leading to dehydration, which can be serious.

Diarrhea in Infants

New parents quickly become experts at several things, one of which is changing diapers. Since infants go through about eight diapers a day, parents easily pick up on anything abnormal. Every baby’s stools are different in terms of how watery they are, which makes defining diarrhea in infants difficult. To keep it simple, diarrhea is typically a sudden onset of frequent bowel movements that are more watery than usual.

The risk of dehydration from diarrhea is much higher in children than most adults, and especially in infants. Since infants can’t tell us what they’re feeling, it’s important to keep an eye out for signs of dehydration. With children and infants, you shouldn’t hesitate to call their healthcare provider if you have concerns. For infants under 4 months, the recommendation is that you contact the doctor at the first sign of diarrhea or dehydration.

Diarrhea and Food Allergies

Pulling this all together, diarrhea is one of the top signs of a food allergy, especially for infants. In infants with food allergies, diarrhea often lasts more than just a few days and may even be combined with other symptoms. It’s not uncommon to also see blood or mucus in the stool. Diarrhea can also result from lactose intolerance, which is not as severe as a food allergy, but which may also require a change in diet.

Like we hear from many Neocate parents, diarrhea is often one of the first signs to clear up after they start using Neocate. This is because Neocate doesn’t contain any lactose (or any dairy at all!) or whole proteins. These substances would normally cause a reaction in the body that leads to poor absorption and diarrhea. Infants are able to absorb the nutrients they need from Neocate without the bad reaction that often results in diarrhea. Most parents tell us that the switch to Neocate has meant more solid stools and many fewer diapers.

- Rob

[Image Source]

Most people believe that a product labeled as hypoallergenic will not cause an allergic reaction, but is this really true?

The definition of hypoallergenic is that a product is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction or will cause fewer allergic reactions. Unfortunately, there are few FDA standards that regulate the use of the term, so it’s hard to determine which products are truly hypoallergenic.

With infant formula, things can get confusing because there are several different types that claim to be hypoallergenic. One example is hydrolysate formulas. Although they claim to be hypoallergenic, the protein in these formulas is only partially broken down and allergic reactions can still happen.

To distinguish them from hydrolysates, amino acid-based formulas like Neocate are sometimes referred to as “super” hypoallergenic. This is because they are made up of individual non-allergenic amino acids.

As the parent of a child with food allergies, it is important to ask yourself, “What makes this product hypoallergenic?” before giving it to your child. One thing that the FDA does require is a list of ingredients on the product label. So be sure to read that ingredient list carefully and look out for potential allergens.

One other thing that you may want to consider when choosing a medical food (such as specialized infant formula) is how much it has been tested. With medical foods a manufacturer is only required to have 29 consecutive patients tolerate the formula in a trial and then they can claim it is hypoallergenic. And if the trial fails the first time, they can repeat it again until they reach 29!

Have any other questions about hypoallergenic products? Ask away!

- Sarah

In light of parent concerns about Bisphenol A (BPA) in infant formula packaging, Nutricia announced that we’re taking the extra step to protect your little ones by packaging our powdered products in cans with BPA-free lining.

Nutricia has provided a complete list of BPA-Free powdered Neocate products that will come in the new cans.

Our hope is that this change will help provide extra peace of mind to the many families with children with milk allergies and other gastrointestinal, metabolic and neurological conditions that require specialized nutrition. If you have any other questions about the new BPA-free lining, give us a call or ask us in the comments section.

- Nita