Food Allergy In Children

As a parent, you may feel as if you have a lot to worry about. And if your child has dietary allergies, things might get even more problematic. Not only must they be kept away from electrical outlets and busy roadways, but they must also be kept away from foods such as peanuts, shrimp, milk, and eggs. After all, symptoms such as tingling or itching in the mouth, hives, and difficulty breathing can swiftly escalate into a life-threatening situation.

Childhood food allergies are no laughing matter. So it may make you squirm to realize that not long ago, doctors made suggestions regarding them that we now believe were completely wrong—and could potentially have made matters worse. But how did we get it wrong?

This all began in the mid-1990s, when the number of children with food allergies was increasing. As a result, the medical community raised the alert, looking for solutions to prevent these allergies from occurring. The American Academy of Pediatrics proposed one strategy in 2000. They began advising people not to feed some of the most popular allergenic foods to children who were at high risk of allergies until they were a bit older. That meant no milk until the child was one, no eggs until the child was two, and no peanuts or seafood until the child was three. These instructions were primarily based on experts' hunches, but they were supported by a few studies. For example, ther was one from 1990 that followed a group of children in New Zealand until they reached the age of ten. It discovered that if children were exposed to a wide range of allergens before the age of four months, they were more likely to develop recurrent or chronic eczema, which frequently coexists with food allergies.

Similarly, in 1994, 113 Finnish children with food allergies were studied. It also discovered that by the age of five, children who started solid foods at three months old had much higher food allergies than those who started solids later. In 1999, an official report sponsored by key European medical associations stated that providing solid foods before the age of 5 months could be harmful. Over time, more and more medical associations agreed that doctors should continue to advise parents to avoid feeding allergic foods to their kids. However, beginning in 2006, studies began to emerge that suggested the exact opposite. There don't appear to be any faults in the older studies that scientists can point to. Nonetheless, the statistics began to show a different picture. For example, a research released that year that followed almost 1600 children from birth to the age of five. It discovered a higher risk of wheat allergy in children who began eating wheat later—after 6 months of age.

The emerging data soon reached a tipping point, and the American Academy of Pediatrics altered their position in 2008. Other renowned health and medical institutions quickly followed suit. They established guidelines for introducing the most common allergenic foods as soon as babies demonstrated that they could manage solid food, which usually occurs between the ages of 4 and 6 months. And if you're wondering why the statistics got a one-eighty, you're not alone. Doctors are baffled as to why previous studies claimed that postponing allergic foods was beneficial. However, new evidence demonstrates that they were completely wrong. The 2015 Learning Early About Peanut experiment, for example, demonstrated that providing peanut protein early is beneficial. In addition, the 2016 Enquiring About A tolerance research also discovered that introducing a few allergic foods to infants under 6 months old was safe.

As a result, there is plenty of evidence to support the reversal of previous rules. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of particular recommendations when it comes to actively preventing food allergies in the general public. So far, studies have focused on variables such as how much of each allergy to introduce to babies and how frequently. They've also looked into whether such recommendations should alter based on geographic location, and whether the same advice should be given to infants with and without risk factors for developing food allergies. However, there isn't currently enough information to turn those research into concrete recommendations for parents. More study is needed, such as studies into how factors other than when you first eat a food affect whether you acquire an allergy. And more research that isn't only about peanuts. One thing is certain: the old advise to limit infants' exposure to allergic foods is still prevalent in the parenting world, and not everyone is up to date on the most recent recommendations.

Thankfully, the most recent recommendations advise parents not to delay common allergens such as wheat and peanuts. Instead, they advise starting to introduce a variety of meals as soon as your infant is ready for them. But when it comes to your specific children, don't accept it from us, and especially don't take it from random people on the street.

Consult a pediatrician if you are seriously concerned about your children's food allergies.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.