New evidence suggests that Neocate baby formula, a type of formula meant for children and babies with severe food allergies, may cause rickets and other skeletal deformities.

Neocate is a type of elemental formula, an amino acid based liquid diet meant for babies and children with severe allergies to regular formulas. Children with allergies to cow’s milk, soy milk, and other milks may be given Neocate as their primary source of nutrition.

Amino acids are the building blocks of all proteins and are a form that is easy to digest. The formula is meant to be nutritious, easy to absorb, and unlikely to cause an allergic reaction. However, research suggests that Neocate may not be as nutritious as it is claimed to be.

What Research Has Been Done on Neocate?

Studies have linked Neocate baby formula to extremely low levels of phosphorus in infants and children. Low phosphate levels can cause rickets, bone health problems, leading to deformities, bone disease, undermineralization, fractures, and other health concerns.

A 2017 study of 51 children with extremely low levels of phosphorus found that when the children were switched from their Neocate-based diets to a different formula with a higher level of phosphates, their phosphorus levels almost immediately improved. 94 percent of the children in the study were diagnosed with fractures, undermineralization, or rickets while being fed a Neocate diet.

While taking these children off of their Neocate diet improved many of their symptoms, some deformities caused by low phosphorus levels can be permanent.

What Can Cause Rickets?

Rickets is caused by prolonged vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus deficiencies. It is characterized by softening of the bones, which may result in bowed legs. Other side effects of rickets may include a projected breastbone or thick wrists and ankles.

What are the Dangers of Low Phosphorus Levels?

Low phosphorus levels can result in many serious side effects. While some of these bone problems can be resolved by switching to a different diet or undergoing reparative surgery, other side effects may be permanent.

Side effects may include:

• Rickets
• Broken bones
• Skeletal deformities
• Pain and discomfort
• Poor growth
• Muscle weakness

Who is at Risk?

While children who subsist on a Neocate diet are at risk of developing bone problems, parents of these children may face their own risks. In one case from Mississippi reported by the Clarion Ledger, a young boy on a Neocate diet suffered a wrist fracture. When he experienced a femur fracture a month later with no explanation, Child Protection Services suspected his father of physical abuse. CPS launched an investigation into the family. Months later, the family saw an advertisement on television linking Neocate with bone fractures and realized the boy’s broken bones could have resulted from his diet.

Is It A True Allergy or Parental Preference?

According to Foodallergy.org, allergies to cow’s milk in infants occur about 2.5 percent of the time. The article also indicates that this allergy is most likely to be outgrown given enough time.

Some parents who eschew dairy products themselves might be inclined to switch their babies to an elemental formula on the assumption that their child has an allergy to cow’s milk.

However, experimentation with a baby’s diet isn’t advisable. A baby needs all the nutritional support a full diet can offer to meet the demands necessary to reach key developmental milestones in a short period of time. It’s better to check with a pediatric care specialist to confirm the allergy and to plan a healthy way to change the child’s diet.

It is vital to be able to pinpoint symptoms of an allergy that might spell the need for a follow-up call to the family physician. Babies and children don’t straightforwardly express discomfort associated with foods, and parents must learn to read the signs.

As indicated by a separate article posted by Foodallergy.org, young infancy allergies can present with diarrhea, gas, hives, vomiting, and irritability. Since these crying and colic are common problems with this early period of life, they would be easy to miss. Other signs might be putting hands in mouth, scratching tongues, and squeaky or hoarse voices.

If you seek the advice of a qualified professional and it is determined that your child needs an amino-acid based formula in lieu of a cow’s milk formula, be sure to seek advice to get the best one on the market that will protect the life and development of your precious cargo.

If your child has suffered permanent and debilitating side effects as a result of a Neocate diet, you may be entitled to compensation. You may be able to file a Neocate lawsuit and pursue compensation for medical expenses, pain, suffering, disability, and other damages. You should not have to go into medical debt due to a defective product.