In a message dated 97-08-18 09:07:47 EDT, Jon Ahrendsen writes (in part):

<< I just returned from a FP conference where there was a pediatric
gastroenterologist from a large Nebraska border town that surrounds Carter
Lake who spoke about GE reflux in kids... He [said] that "some kids actually
do better on Similac rather than BM because the Similac curdles in the
infants stomach more and 'sets' there better so that it is less likely to be
refluxed.">>

I wonder if he has actual statistics to back up his assertion.  According to
the Breastfeeding Answer Book (page 37), "Switching from breastfeeding to
formula, which is sometimes suggested for the baby suspected of having
reflux, may worsen rather than improve a baby's spitting up.  Research has
found that breastfed babies tend to have fewer episodes of reflux than babies
on formula (Heacock 1992).  This may be partly because one cause of reflux is
delayed emptying of the stomach and human milk has been found to empty from
the stomach twice as quickly as formula (Ewer 1994)."

References: Heacock, H. et al.  Influence of breast versus formula milk on
physiological gastroesophageal reflux in healthy, newborn infants.  J Ped
Gastro Nutr 1992; 14:41-46.

Ewer, A. et al.  Gastric emptying in preterm infants.  Arch Dis Child 1994;
71:F24-F27.

<<I then asked him, "You know you really didn't tell me what the ratio was of
formula feed infants to breast fed infants was in your reflux clinic?  Can
you give me an estimate?  His reply; "Basically everybody we see in the
reflux clinic is formula
fed.">>

Yikes!  Guess I'm just a little sensitive about this right now after getting
a call from a mother whose initially breastfed baby started vomiting even
more after ingesting the MD prescribed antidote to reflux---formula.

Rita