Participants
lactose intolerance, milk allergy, fever, asthma
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, MILK ALLERGY, ASTHMA
In total 364 subjects were enrolled between November 2019 and January 2022 by four different sites in Mexico; Clínica Pediátrica Pigüi and Hospital Star Médica Hip in Mexico City, Clínica VITALI in Guadalajara, and Hospital Christus Muguerza Sur in Monterrey. Healthy, term infants (gestational age 37–42 weeks, birth weight 2.5-4 kg), aged 1–4 months, were included. They were exclusively fed with a commercially available IF of interest for at least 3 weeks prior to inclusion in the study. For an infant to be included, parents/caregivers of the subjects had to agree to offer no weaning foods over the course of the study, had to be 18 years or older, should be fluent in Spanish, and own a smartphone with internet access. Subjects were excluded from the study if they: (I) had a birth weight-for-length (WFL) percentile > 85 or < 5, (II) had a congenital condition and/or previous or current illness that could interfere with the study as judged by the healthcare provider, (III) had a known or increased risk of cow’s milk allergy and/or lactose intolerance (i.e. one of the biological parents/caregivers and or siblings diagnosed with cow’s milk allergy, asthma, fever, etc.), (IV) were participating in another survey or trial, (V) had parents/caregivers that seemed unable or unwilling to comply with the protocol requirements, (VI) used antibiotics and/or other medication that influences the study outcomes as judged by the healthcare provider, as well as probiotic and/or prebiotic supplements (other than those found in the formula itself), at the time of screening and/or two weeks prior to the start of the study.