Dietary treatment for regurgitation--recommendations from a working party

Abstract

Regurgitation is a common manifestation in infants below the age of 1 y, and is a frequent reason for counselling of general practitioners and paediatricians. Current recommended therapeutic management starts with parental reassurance and dietary measures, followed by prokinetics. In this paper, the efficacy, safety and nutritional implications of the dietary treatment of regurgitation are evaluated. Industrially prepared thickened feeds may contain cereals of fibres; some have a low lipid content and are casein-predominant. Milk-thickened agents can also be added to regular infant feeding. Formulae claimed as "anti-regurgitation formulae", or positioned as such, should be considered as medical foods or therapeutic diets, and only be available on medical prescription. It is proposed to limit the "anti-regurgitation" (AR) label to those diets which have been proven clinically effective on regurgitation and which are nutritionally safe.