Cow milk feeding in infancy: gastrointestinal blood loss and iron nutritional status

Eighty-one normal infants were studied between 112 and 196 days of age. Thirty-nine infants were fed pasteurized cow milk and the remainder were fed either Enfamil or heat-treated cow milk. During the age interval of 112 to 140 days, the proportion of infants with guaiac-positive stools was significantly (P less than 0.01) greater among infants fed pasteurized cow milk than among those fed Enfamil or heat-treated cow milk. Similarly, infants fed cow milk had a significantly (P less than 0.001) greater number of guaiac-positive stools than did the other infants. After 140 days of age, there was no difference between feeding groups in the number of guaiac-positive stools. No significant differences were observed in mean hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, or transferrin saturation between feeding groups nor between infants with and those without guaiac-positive stools, It is concluded that pasteurized cow milk should not be fed before 140 days of age.