Realimentation of dehydrated children with acute diarrhea: comparison of cow's milk to a chicken-based formula.

A randomized, prospective study was performed on 73 male children between 3 and 14 months of age with mild to moderate dehydration caused by acute diarrhea, and who were rehydrated with WHO-ORS, and then at 4 h after admission were fed either cow's milk or an experimental diet based on chicken, plantain, and coconut oil. There were no statistically significant differences in the admission characteristics. The group of children fed cow's milk had a higher total volume of diarrheic evacuations (p less than 0.05). The average duration of diarrhea was 20 h shorter in the group of infants on the milk-free formula. A significant correlation was observed between the volume of diarrhea and the WHO-ORS consumed during the first 48 h, but not to the volume of diet intake.