Will babies develop eczema if they eat milk powder?

Some mothers do not have breast milk after giving birth due to their own reasons. Even if they find a lactation consultant, they still will not have enough milk to feed their babies. They have no choice but to feed them with formula. However, the quality of milk powder nowadays is really worrying. For example, the previous Sanlu milk powder had big problems. So the question is, will babies develop eczema if they eat milk powder?

Eczema is a common allergic disease, commonly known as "milk rash", and is a common skin disease in infancy. Newborns are most likely to develop eczema. The main cause of eczema in infants and young children is allergy, especially cow's milk protein allergy. Data shows that about 6% of infants and young children are allergic to milk protein in the first year after birth. Milk contains a kind of α-S1 casein. For babies, many tissues and organs of the body are not yet fully developed, especially the digestive system and immune system. When the indigestible α-S1 casein enters the body of the child, it can easily cause an allergic reaction.

How to prevent milk allergy?

If you are breastfeeding, it is recommended that you exclude foods containing milk protein from your diet during breastfeeding. The following foods may contain milk protein:

Milk (including all varieties such as skim milk, dry milk products, solid milk products, dehydrated milk products and concentrated milk products), cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cereals containing milk, chocolate, various products containing cheese, whey protein, caseinate, and lactalbumin are all ingredients of milk protein.

Food supplement suggestions for preventing milk allergy:

If breast milk is insufficient and infant formula is needed, it is recommended to use non-allergenic infant formula goat milk powder.

The casein structure of goat milk is different from that of cow milk; goat milk mainly contains α-2S casein and β-casein, both of which are easily decomposed by yeast; while cow milk mainly contains α-1S casein. Therefore, people who are allergic to milk or have weak constitutions may not be able to drink goat milk. Milk powder contains foreign proteins such as αs1-casein and β-lactoglobulin. These two proteins are allergens. They contain 40-50% in cow's milk and 1-3% in goat's milk. The fat globules and protein particles in Kabrita goat milk are only 1/3 of those in cow's milk, and the particles are of uniform size, so they are easier to be digested and absorbed by the human body.