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Think your baby is allergic to cow’s milk?

According to a special communication published in JAMA Pediatrics, while 14% of babies are reported to have cow’s milk allergy, only about 1% actually do have it. As for the diet restrictions for breastfeeding mothers, the authors report that those are likely not necessary, even if there is an IgE-mediated allergy. So many mothers are putting their nutrition at risk, or stopping breastfeeding, for no good reason. It’s also worrisome that in 81% of the published guidelines on cow’s milk allergy, the authors of the guidelines reported a conflict of interest with formula manufacturers. This does not mean that the guidelines aren’t good or accurate, but it’s troubling that the formula manufacturers…

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Featured

 Are microbes causing your milk allergy?

Several years ago, my research group, together with a collaborator in Italy, Roberto Berni Canani, was comparing the bacteria present in infants with a diagnosed cow’s milk allergy to those without. We found some remarkable differences between the two groups. This led us to wonder whether the different bacteria present in each of the two groups are sufficient to protect against allergy. And if so, could we figure out why?

Articles of Interest

A Dairy Dilemma

Moreover, mothers who give up foods while breast-feeding can put themselves or their children at risk for nutritional deficiencies. That said, a small percentage of babies are indeed allergic to food proteins—somewhere between 2 to 8 percent are allergic to cow’s milk, but among babies who have only ever been fed breast milk, the risk is only about 0.5 percent; an infant’s risk of being allergic to soy is estimated at 0.7 percent—and these babies, who usually have other warning signs in addition to crying a lot, do fare better after dietary changes.

Can Babies Be Allergic to Breastmilk?

If your baby seems extra fussy, gassy, barfy, snorty or rashy you may wonder, “Can babies be allergic to breastmilk?” The answer? No, the natural breastmilk proteins are so mild that they just don’t provoke allergies in babies. However, here’s the big BUT. Babies can be allergic to foods that you eat…tiny bits of which can sneak into your milk!

Cow's milk allergy: 'Going to a coffee shop could kill my child'

Like many five-year-olds, Evie Kinsella loves dancing, all things sparkly, climbing trees and trips to the woods. But going to a coffee shop could prove fatal for her. She was diagnosed with a cow's milk allergy as a baby and her condition is so severe that she reacts to milk particles in the air.

Experimental Treatment For Milk Allergy May Not Last

The idea behind "oral immunotherapy" is that you can teach an allergic child's immune system to ignore the food protein that pushes it into overdrive. It's the same principle that has dictated how people with environmental allergies have been treated for decades – they are given shots with small amounts of the allergen. Preliminary experiments involving milk, peanuts and other allergenic foods have shown this strategy works.

Milk Allergies are Real: Respect for the Rodney Dangerfield of Food Allergies

I never thought that I would have to revisit this topic. After all, our society is becoming acutely aware of food allergies. But just the other day, a friend in the food allergy community said, “people don’t die from a milk allergy.” On the contrary, severe milk allergies are real. And it’s time they gain some respect.

Milk Allergy: Common Causes and Symptoms

Cow’s milk allergy is the most common allergy among infants and young children.1,2 A milk allergy, like every allergy, is when your immune system mistakenly identifies one or both of these proteins as harmful. When you ingest these proteins, your immune system responds and releases histamines, which then cause your allergic symptoms.

When Cow's Milk Isn't the Culprit

Parents and doctors may be overly quick to blame cow's milk when infants experience adverse food reactions, according to a study in Archives of Disease in Childhood. That may lead to dietary changes that are unnecessary and potentially less nourishing. Also, eliminating cow's milk from infant formula could increase the child's chances of developing true cow's-milk allergy later in life, researchers said.

Resources

Milk Allergy Mom

As a 14-year allergy mom, I know allergies can be stressful. So we create simple, practical tools that have helped thousands. You CAN become the calm, confident allergy mom you wanna be!

Baby Care Advice

Vomiting, diarrhea, a rash, breathing problems, and lack of weight gain may be signs that your baby has a food allergy. Read about the symptoms, the foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction in babies and young children, and how food allergies are diagnosed and treated.

TeensHealth

So many foods are made with milk and milk products these days that people with milk allergies have to pay attention to what's in just about everything they eat. And a milk allergy is not the same as lactose intolerance — some people with food allergies can become suddenly and severely ill if they eat or even come in contact with the food they're allergic to. Some foods that contain milk are obvious, like pizza. But others, like baked goods, might not be so obvious.