Analysis of data from a trial of more than 1,300 babies has found that increased demand of moisturizers at three months of age was associated with a higher likelihood of developing allergies in childhood.
The new study, published today (Thursday) in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, this was found to still be true even when skin conditions such as eczema – which is linked to the development of allergies – were noticed.
The research team, led by researchers at St George’s, University of London and King’s College London, advises that moisturisers are still effective in reducing the symptoms of skin diseases and that more work is needed to understand why the use of a moisturizer may lead to the development of allergies.
Previous research in a trial of 1,394 children had shown that moist infants are not effective in preventing the development of eczema. The results also saw a nonsignificant increase in food allergy in the moist group compared to the control group.
In this new study, the largest completed randomized controlled trial of early ingestion of allergenic foods, each additional weekly humidity was associated with a 20% increase in the likelihood of developing a food allergy (OR).adj 1.20 (95% CI 1.13-1.27), p <0.0005).
Parents enrolled in the survey were asked how often they moistened their child and what product they used. Olive oil was the most common product used by babies.
How moisture can lead to the development of food allergies is not yet fully understood. Experiments in animals have shown that allergen sensitivity can occur through exposure through the skin.
One theory the authors of the paper suggest is that some moisturisers can adversely affect the skin’s barrier, allowing allergens to communicate with the skin’s immune system more easily.
They also suggest that parents with allergies on their hands from cooking and eating may inadvertently expose their child to more contact with these allergens when install the damp device.
This study does not say that parents should stop their children from being damp. The results have raised concerns that there may be something in moisture that may raise the risk of developing a food allergy, but we need more work to find out why this could be. “
Dr Michael Perkin, First Author and Pediatric Allergist, St George’s, University of London
“In the meantime, we recommend that parents wash their hands before moistening their baby as a precautionary measure. In fact, if children have skin diseases, such as eczema, they should be treated with guidance from their GP. , follow an allergist or dermatologist. “
Professor Carsten Flohr, a dermatologist from the St John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College London and the Guy & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and lead author of the paper, said: “Further research is now needed to understand the the exact reasons behind why moist babies appear more often. Being at higher risk of developing food allergies and strategies to prevent this from happening also need to be improved. “
Source:
St George’s, University of London
Magazine Reference:
Perkin, MR et al. (2021) Association of frequent moisturizer use in early childhood with development of food allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.10.044.