From Good Housekeeping
In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health announced its updated set of dietary guidelines that will apply until 2025. Many health experts regret that the current recommendations on added sugar have not changed much, among others. However, the federal health experts behind the report have recommended new restrictions on added sugar the very first set of advice for parents of babies and toddlers. According to the report, no amount of added sugar is acceptable for children younger than 2 years; the authors of the guidelines cite the strong link between childhood obesity and health issues later in life as the reasoning for their new attitude.
But parents (and parents to be!) May raise eyebrows over a new data-driven proposal on dietary exposure to peanuts and other allergens, which is the opposite of what they’ve heard in the past.
New guidelines ask parents to suggest “nutritionally dense” foods to babies, in addition to milk or formula that is from 6 months old, including known allergens that many parents have avoided in history. “Peanuts, egg, cow’s milk products, tree nuts, wheat, crustaceans in crustaceans, fish and soy should be introduced when other complementary foods are introduced into a baby’s diet,” the guidelines state. “The introduction of peanut foods in the first year reduces the risk of a baby developing a food allergy to peanuts.”
The shift in advice is related to breakthrough research known as the LEAP (Early Learning About Peanut Allergy) study, explains Sanjeev Jain, MD, Ph.D., an immunologist and founder of Columbia Allergy Clinics across the Northwest of the Pacific. In the eighties, dr. Jain, as food allergies became more common, allergologists believed that it was necessary to prevent oral exposure to potential allergens (namely peanuts) later in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics has even asked parents to wait to introduce peanuts to children until they are 3 years old, and eggs at 2 years old, in guidelines published in 2000. But the LEAP study, published just after the last set of USDA dietary guidelines was released in 2015, “clearly showed that early introduction of peanuts, which begins in four months of life, reduces the risk of developing peanut butter allergies. he adds.
Always consult your child’s doctor before introducing new foods into their routine.
According to Dr Jain, experts in the field of allergies have an excess of data confirming that the baby’s immune system and digestive tract can adapt almost naturally to foreign foods – things they have never eaten. “The immune system in the first six months of life is particularly malleable; it can adapt much more to exposure to the environment at that age than later in life,” he explains.
Taking a baby or toddler with allergens is important if the food in the home environment is around them. Especially for peanuts, a baby can easily become sensitive to peanuts if their skin comes into regular contact with its antigens (or proteins) – especially if they already have eczema or another skin problem, says Michael Pistiner, managing director, a member of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of the American Scientific Council of America. “That [sensitization] can drive a child in the direction of developing a food allergy, “he explains, adding that other non-peanut butter allergies can also develop in this way.” This is why it seems like these kids start their exposure to the food through their mouth and eat it, then it can help reduce the chance that they will develop an allergy to that food. ‘
But what about soy, eggs or other nuts? Robert Coles, MD, a pediatrician at the University of California’s San Diego Health System, says while evidence is not as clear for these allergens, experts treat it based on peanut logic. “Given the data for peanuts and eggs specifically, we now recommend that – from an allergy perspective – supplemental foods and other highly allergenic foods can be introduced into the child’s diet at any time after the age of four to six months, he explains. A few exceptions may be thicker staples such as peanut butter or honey, which can pose choking hazards if not properly prepared, with the latter putting babies at risk for botulism (“Even very processed honey can carry traces of bacteria,” adds dr. Jain by).
For children outside the recommended age group of four to six months, allergy clinician Dr Jain says it slow to add traces of nuts or small amounts of soy for toddlers is largely still recommended. ‘It’s never too late … You have an opportunity to propose [foods] before developing allergies, “he adds. Exposure through the skin route without equal exposure through the mouth and feeding route is not ideal as it leads to possible sensitivity of that food. “
Perhaps the most important takeaway for parents – those who welcome their first child or those who are anxious in the kitchen due to the development of another child’s allergy – is that introducing food to babies and younger toddlers at home is a very low risk of a severe allergic reaction. Dr. Jain explains that anaphylaxis is rare in this case: “The current guidelines are that the risk of bringing your food home is so low when it comes to a life-threatening allergic reaction, that it is considered safe.”
Regardless of your child’s age or immersed in new foods at home, there is always an option to do an ‘oral challenge’ that makes families available in an office environment. “We give common allergens in the office to confirm that the child is not allergic to that food. It may take a while to determine each food, but we try at least,” says Dr. Jain. As we move forward, it seems that most allergists can agree on one thing: Not feeding your little ones allergens out of fear can lead to the food allergy you fear.
If you are concerned about a child and possible food allergies, you should monitor the visual reactions to known allergens. The most common symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, itching or hives, swelling or puffiness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain and dizziness. For more information on common reaction signs, and instructions for getting first aid, visit the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
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