Food Allergies Before
1 yr of age
There are 8 foods that cause the majority of allergic reactions in
children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish,
soy and wheat . It was not too long ago that doctors would recommend avoiding these 8 foods in the first year of life when solids were first introduced in order to reduce the risk that your child would develop
an allergy to the food. There seems to
be some controversy with this now and doctors are saying that there is little
evidence to support not introducing your child to these foods.
When I began to introduce my baby to solids I was very
confused about what foods were considered safe and which were not as 2 doctors
provided me with different advice . One
said that food allergies are no longer a concern and that I can feed my baby all
foods except milk (until 1) as long there is no history of allergies in the family. The second doctor was on the opposite end of
the spectrum and said that peanuts and peanut butter were the only things that
were ok but other high allergy foods such as egg whites and milk had to wait
until 1, fish until 2, and shellfish until 3. I did a little investigating I have found that
doctor 1 is right. There is no evidence
to support waiting to introduce any foods to your infant in hopes of reducing
their risk of allergy.
This article from the American Academy of Pediatrics states
that there is no evidence to support that introducing a child to eggs, fish or
peanuts after 4-6 months of age determines whether you child will be allergic
to them. http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/pediatrics;121/1/183
The Mayo Clinic also states that there is little evidence to
support waiting to introduce foods such as Eggs, fish, and peanuts due to the
higher likelihood that an allergy will develop. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00029
Facts about Food
Allergies from the American Dietetic Association:
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=8052
- Most Common food allergies in children: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecans, walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
- Most children outgrow food allergies, especially to milk, eggs and soy. Food allergies are much less common in adults than children.
- Most common food allergies in adults: fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts
- Food allergies in children are rare. In 2007, about four in 100 children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy
I believe your information that there is no evidence to support that introducing a child to eggs, fish or peanuts after 4-6 months of age determines whether your child will be allergic to them. I think the problem is doctor #2 is applying standard food allergen knowledge to babies in the first year of life incorrectly, since the information is meant for adults.
ReplyDeleteAccording to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN™) there are eight foods which account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions. They are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Some of these allergens may be outgrown, but others, such as peanut and shellfish, will remain lifelong allergies. http://www.foodallergy.org/section/allergens
Allergy skin tests are a useful method for evaluating the prevalence of immediate hypersensitivity and determination of whether or not there is a clinical syndrome.