Though breastfeeding remains the preferred mode of feeding in infants with acute diarrhea 3 to 12 months of age, researchers say they can now recommend cows' milk as a safe alternative. Until relatively recently, pediatric experts had believed that diarrhea led to lactose intolerance, interfering with the gut's ability to digest the lactose in milk.
However, studies show that human milk has even more lactose than cows' milk, so researchers began to investigate what it is about cows' milk that seems to prolong diarrhea in young children. Researchers found babies who consumed cows' milk at increased frequency but lower amounts had quicker recovery times compared with infants fed less frequently and at higher volumes.
Researchers speculate that excessive amounts of lactose in 'high-volume' feedings may go unabsorbed by the digestive tract, exacerbating diarrhea symptoms.
Archives of Disease in Childhood December 1999;81:487-491.
The simplest and most effective is a high potency probiotic of acidophilus and bifidus taken every hour until the child is better. This usually works within a matter of hours. Even organic cow?s milk has problems. Although it does not contain hormones or pesticides it is homogenized and pasteurized and that damages the structure of the milk. For more information, please follow the links on my web site www.mercola.com on milk in the Links section.
Many people are concerned about their children losing calcium when not giving their children milk. Normally, the calcium in most vegetables is more bioavailable than that in milk. However, if children are not eating vegetables, a supplement can be easily administered. The most important bone building aspect of milk though is the added vitamin D.
A lack of vitamin D impairs the body's ability to incorporate calcium into bone. In the summer and lighter days of the year, we do not need this supplement if we are outdoors regularly as the skin converts sunlight to vitamin D. However, in the cold winter months a supplement would be wise.