Of all the allergies that can occur during the first years of life, food allergies is one of the most common and the most likely to cause anaphylaxis.
A new study from Sweden found that mothers who drink cow’s milk while breastfeeding can reduce the risk of their child developing food allergies .
The study
Published in the journal Nutrients , the study looked at the eating habits of more than 500 mothers at 34 weeks of pregnancy, one month after giving birth, and again four months later.
They checked the mothers’ reported intake of milk and dairy products, via biomarkers in blood and breast milk, and confirmed children’s allergies with a doctor. The children who participated in the study were primarily allergic to eggs, milk, or both.
According to the results, mothers of healthy children consumed more cow’s milk during lactation than mothers of allergic children . But while the association is clear, they cannot claim that drinking cow’s milk is a general cure for food allergies.
The study was not designed to say how drinking cow’s milk while breastfeeding reduces the risk of food allergy in children, but the researchers have their theories. The first is that the milk in the mother’s diet may contain substances that stimulate the maturity of the child’s immune system .
Another theory is that a higher intake of saturated fats in milk can naturally lead to a consumption of less polyunsaturated fats, since it is believed that high levels of polyunsaturated fats in a mother’s diet can counteract the maturation of the immune system of a child at a young age.
The researchers warn that more research is still needed on this topic and ask mothers not to consider that just adding milk to their diet will reduce the risk of allergies in their children .
The study aims to follow the children up to four years of age and republish an update on their findings.
Photo | iStock
Via | Health day
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