Adding feed thickeners to milk in full term, bottle-fed infants with gastroesophageal reflux reduces symptoms

Gastro-oesophageal reflux in babies generally gets better by itself and does not require treatment, but while it lasts the symptoms can be quite troublesome. Researchers at the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham (T’ng Chang Kwok, Shalini Ojha and Jon Dorling) working with the Neonatal Group of the Cochrane Collaboration, looked at all the scientific papers in this field and found eight clinical trials involving over 600 babies. They analysed the data and discovered evidence that adding feed thickener to milk reduces symptoms of reflux. Babies with gastro-oesophageal reflux are 2.5 times more likely to have no reflux symptoms if feed thickeners are used. The studies looked at babies born at full term and those who were bottle fed.

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