Objective:

Review the existing evidence on the efficacy of supplementation with hydrolyzed formulas in the prevention of allergic disease in non-premature children.

Data sources:

The Cochrane Database, MEDLINE/PubMed, National Guideline Clearinghouse, Guideline Finder, and the Canadian Medical Association.

Methods:

A search for randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and clinical guidelines, published between January 2009 and January 2019 in English and limited to human studies. We used the search query with the MeSH terms: Protein Hydrolysates; Hypersensitivity; Allergy and Immunology; Rhinitis; Allergic, Seasonal; Asthma. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) of the American Family Physician was used to evaluate the quality and the strength of the recommendation of the studies.

Results:

Of 23 articles found, three met the inclusion criteria: two meta-analyses and a cohort study. Only one of the included studies presented statistically significant results in the reduction of allergic disease. The remaining studies have not shown evidence in reducing allergic disease.

Conclusions:

After analyzing the articles, it was concluded that there is no scientific evidence on the use of hydrolyzed milk supplementation for the prevention of allergic disease (recommendation force B). It is considered that more studies in this area, with better quality, are necessary to validate the evidence found and help to formulate other hypotheses.

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