Food Allergies & Your Child
Can I Prevent My Child Having Food Allergies?
A study conducted in 1995 by Robert S. Zeiger, M.D., Ph.D., chief of allergy at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Diego suggested that “high risk babies” who did not consume cow’s milk, eggs or peanuts during infancy and whose mothers also avoided these foods in pregnancy had a reduced incidence of food allergies and eczema during the first two years of their life but no long term effect.
"The most common food allergies-to milk and eggs-tend to disappear by age three to five," said Robert S. Zeiger, M.D., Ph.D., chief of allergy at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Diego. "However, allergies to peanuts and fish continue to be present up through at least age seven, according to our study. Other studies have found these allergies may be life-long."
Food allergies affect a small number of children, although finding ways to prevents or avoid their onset can be a challenge to parents and health care professionals alike.
What Did Zeiger Investigate In His Study?
Zeiger conducted the longest most extensive, randomized and controlled study of food allergen avoidance worldwide. He followed one hundred and sixty five children from birth to seven years old who were at high risk of developing allergies due to their parents allergic histories.
If both parents have allergies, children will have a forty to seventy per cent chance of also developing allergies. This varies according to whether both parents are allergic to the same thing or not. If only parent is allergic the odds drop between twenty and thirty per cent and decrease to ten per cent if both parents have no allergies
Are Genetic Factors The Only Contributors To Allergy?
While genes have a direct correlation with whether or not a child becomes allergic, environmental factors need to be present before the allergy is expressed.
"Avoiding the early introduction of potentially allergenic foods is the basic step in the primary prevention of food allergies in children who are at high risk," said Zeiger. “But some infants may still become sensitized or allergic to a food. Thus, it may be important to clinically test for certain allergic antibodies in high-risk children and to take aggressive secondary prevention measures, if necessary.”
How Will I Know That My Child Has An Allergy?
The following signs would suggest that your child may have an allergy:-
- Eczema
- Wheezing
- Vomiting
Early detection can help to avoid the severity of an allergy.
Click Here To Read Our Related Article How Can I Tell If My Baby Has A Food Allergy?
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