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You are here:    Home arrow Diet arrow Nutrition diet for Infant arrow Allergic food during pregnancy may develop allergies later to her child.
Allergic food during pregnancy may develop allergies later to her child.
The field of allergy research is full of mysteries and controversies, but one thing's clear: Childhood is a crucial turning point. This is when the immune system takes shape, and it can go down one of two paths: One leads to allergies, the other leads to tolerance.

Experts argue about the best ways to protect your baby from allergies during pregnancy. As a mother-to-be, you naturally worry about how the food you eat will affect your baby. But if you're concerned that your tuna sandwich or milkshake will give your baby food allergies, you can relax. With the possible exception of peanuts, the foods you eat today probably won't affect your child's risk for food allergies in the future.

A family history of allergies is the single most important factor that predisposes a person to develop allergic disease. If one parent has allergic disease, the estimated risk of the child to develop allergies is 48%; the child's risk grows to 70% if both parents have allergies.

This genetic tendency, called "atopy", occurs when allergic individuals' immune systems essentially go into overdrive when they come into contact with an allergen. An allergen refers to any substance such as pollen, mold or animal dander, which can trigger an allergic response. Food allergies in children can cause a variety of problems that range from eczema to life-threatening allergic reactions.

Although allergies and asthma cannot be uniformly prevented, recent information suggests that there are steps a family - especially one with a history of allergic disease - should take to delay or lessen the likelihood of their children developing allergies. Parents with allergies or asthma can make the recommended environmental changes and use the preventative strategies discussed to help reduce or delay the occurrence of allergies and asthma in their children.

The Environmental Health Report 2005 describes exposures and results from the national survey on children's environmental health (BAMSE) which has yielded interesting results and is still continuing. BAMSE has the objective of studying environmental risk factors in relation to genetics for allergic diseases of various severities at the age of 8-9 years in children and to identify factors that are important for induction of allergic tolerance. Moreover, to study socio-economic aspects in families with allergic children. For example  link between asthma /allergy, and on the public indoor environment such as underground trains and the health effects of  combustion particles, road abrasion particles and railroad-generated particles.

Study suggested that self reported moisture related problems in the building were strongly associated to asthma, allergic symptoms, and airway infections among children and adults. Other factors associated with symptoms among the children were allergic heredity, smoking in family, male sex, urban living, short breast feeding, pet keeping, daycare attendance, non-farming life and some food habits. Identified risk factors for allergic symptoms are e.g. inspector observed dampness, a low ventilation rate, endotoxin, penicillium and phthalates in dust.

Another study shown that the risk of atopic dermatitis during the first year of life was related to maternal atopic dermatitis, lower concentrations of macrophage inflammatory protein-1ß in cord blood, and greater skin moisture in the surface and stratum corneum of the forehead and cheek at 1 month of age but not to viral or bacterial infection during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Paternal hay fever was associated negatively with the development of atopic dermatitis. High concentrations of interleukin-5, interleukin-17, and macrophage chemotactic protein-1 and only surface moisture in the cheek were associated with greater risk of infantile eczema in the first month.

Eating peanuts during pregnancy and while breast feeding may increase your child's risk for developing a peanut allergy and other allergies — especially if you have a family history of allergies. Peanuts are the one food that you might want to avoid during pregnancy.  Eating peanuts during pregnancy and while breast feeding may increase your child's risk for developing a peanut allergy and other allergies — especially if you have a family history of allergies.

It's theoretically possible that exposing your unborn child to peanuts could make her vulnerable to peanut allergies, and you can easily do without them. However, you should know that there's no conclusive proof that babies exposed to peanuts in the womb are more likely to have peanut allergies later in life. And if you and your partner don't have any allergies, your baby isn't likely to develop a peanut allergy even if you start mainlining peanut butter. Peanut butter happens to be a good source of protein and folic acid, and most pregnant women can safely enjoy it.

Some preventive tips:

  • Wait until your child is 6 months old to introduce solid foods. Especially if you have a family history of food allergies, taking steps to prevent early exposure to foods that can cause allergies is a good idea. As a child grows older and the digestive system matures, the body is less likely to absorb food or food components that trigger allergies. Experts believe that waiting to introduce solid foods until your child is 6 months old may help prevent allergies to those foods.
  • Some research studies have found breast feeding, from birth to age 1, can help protect a child from potentially developing allergies or asthma. So, give your child only breast milk for the first 6 months, if possible. This is the best source of nutrition for your infant — and it may help prevent your child from developing food allergies that can last well into childhood or even adulthood.
  • n fact, cutting out foods to protect your child from allergies can have unwanted consequences. A scientific review article published in 2000 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that avoiding cows' milk and eggs during pregnancy doesn't protect children from developing allergies to foods or to anything else. The only noticeable result was that some women struggled to gain enough weight while pregnant. However it is suggested to introduce cow's milk after one year. Waiting to introduce cow's milk until your child reaches age 1 reduces the chance your child will develop a milk allergy.
  • Introduce eggs at age 2. This may help prevent your child from developing an egg allergy.
  • Introduce nuts and seafood at age 3. This may help prevent your child from developing an allergy to these foods. (Do not give your child whole nuts until he or she has molars and can chew them well.)
  • Introduce all new foods gradually and one at a time. Before introducing mixed foods that could cause an allergic reaction, introduce each new food on its own. Don't mix foods until you're sure each individual food is tolerated.
  • Give your child cooked or homogenized foods. Many foods are less likely to cause an allergic reaction after they are cooked. (However, be careful. A few foods — such as cod and celery — still contain allergy-causing proteins after cooking.)
  • Soft, unpasteurized cheeses like feta, Brie, Camembert, and goat — as well as ready-to-eat meats like hot dogs and deli meats — may contain Listeria, bacteria that cause mild flu-like symptoms in most adults but can be very dangerous for unborn babies. Listeriosis, the infection caused by the bacteria, can cause miscarriage, premature birth, or severe illness or death of a newborn.