Allergies, the most common breast diseases that affect children, are on the rise.
According to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the number of children with allergies has doubled in the last 10 years, and visits to A&E have increased sevenfold.
Food allergies vary throughout the block. On the European continent, the most common allergies are caused by fresh fruits and vegetables, but in Anglo-Saxon countries, most food allergies are related to hazelnuts, walnuts and walnuts. walnut. In northern Europe, fish and shellfish allergies are the most common.
There are many factors that can develop a food allergy, including genetic prediction. However, it has also been suggested that diet can play a role – especially in reducing the risk of allergies in children.
The diet factor
In a study led by the Swedish University of Technology Chalmers, together with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, the University of Gothenburg, and the University of Umeå, researchers tried to find out the role of milk cows at risk of allergies in children.
“Diet is a key factor in influencing parents,” Renowned doctoral student at Chalmers University of Technology and first author of the study, Mia Stråvik. “It is very common today for young women to avoid milk, due in part to the trends and concerns, some of which are linked to diet myths.”
However, allergy to milk protein is very uncommon in adults. This means that most women can eat milk and dairy products without digestive issues. Where lactose intolerance is a concern, the researcher stressed that lactose-free dairy products can be consumed without question.
The study examined more than 500 Swedish women’s eating habits and the frequency of allergies in their children at 12 months of age.
‘Society is clear’
Mothers gave detailed descriptions of their eating habits at certain times during pregnancy: in the 34thOne week, again at one month after birth, and the last period four months after birth.
When the children turned one year old, they were examined. Of the 508 children surveyed, 7.7% had a food allergy at one year of age, usually from cow’s milk or eggs, or both. A total of 6.5% were diagnosed with atopic eczema, and the same was diagnosed with asthma.
And 6.5% had allergies of some kind, including non-food-based allergies, at 12 months of age.
The study confirmed that the women were getting ingested milk and dairy products through biomarkers in their blood and breast milk. The biomarkers, described Stråvik, are two fatty acids formed in the stomach of the cow that are specific to dairy products.
The findings showed that there was a ‘clear link’ between breast milk consumption and milk production and a lower incidence of food allergies in their children.
“We have found that mothers of healthy one-year-olds ate more milk than cows when breastfeeding than mothers of one-year-old allergic children,” Stråvik was noted. “While the association is clear, we are not saying that drinking cow’s milk would be a universal remedy for food allergies,” She stressed.
Kickstart the immune system?
Study co-author Malin Barman, Deputy Supervisor for Mia Stråvik, confirmed the clear link between the introduction of cow’s milk and a lower risk for allergies. “Regardless of how we viewed and interpreted the data, we came to the same conclusion.
“But the ways in which milk has an anti-allergic effect are not yet clear.”
One hypothesis suggested by the researchers relates to a link between cow’s milk and the stimulation of the immune system in the immune system of children.
“In the early development of a child, there is a time window where the immune system needs to be stimulated so that the child can tolerate different foods,” It was noted by Stråvik director Professor Ann-Sofie Sandberg.
Early contact with various microorganisms can act as a ‘starter’ for a child’s immune system, she explained. This is called a hygienic hypothesis.
“However, given the prevalence of microorganisms in our healthier society today, products introduced through the mother’s diet can be another way of improving the quality of the organism. promote the immune system. ”
Link between fruit and eczema?
The researchers also noted that breastfeeding mothers, who ate a lot of fruit and berries at the four-month mark, were more likely to suffer from eczema.
Stråvik emphasized that further studies would be needed before any conclusions can be drawn about this association.
A follow-up study is planned to examine the health of four-year-olds.
Source: Nutritionists
‘Mother’s milk juice at lactation is associated with a lower incidence of food allergies in children’
Published 28 November 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123680
Researchers in Sweden, from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, University of Gothenburg, University of Umeå.
Authors: Mia Stravik, Malin Barman, Bill Hesselmar, Anna Sandin, Agnes E. Wold and Ann-Sofie Sandberg.