This weekend we attended the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI) annual meeting (virtually of course).
Some stand out lectures focused on the prevention of food allergy, which is a fascinating topic still very much being studied around the world, as researchers are trying to explain the reasons for the dramatic increase in food allergy.
Key take-aways, which are in line with Dr. Kari Nadeau’s research, highlighted in her book “The End of Food Allergy,” include the 5 D’s:
1. Diversity – diversify the diet early. Feed cooked egg and peanut around 6 months of age and do not deliberately delay introduction of other allergens. Along with this, allergenic solids should not be avoided in breastfeeding and lactating mothers. Hydrolyzed formula is not recommended to prevent allergy.
2. Dog – if you can, keep a dog around while children are small. This supports the hygiene hypothesis.
3. Vitamin D – infants who are vitamin D deficient are 3 times more likely to have an egg allergy, 11 times more likely to have a peanut allergy, and also more likely to have multiple rather than single food allergies.
4. Dry skin – sensitization to food can occur through the skin and dry skin may increase the risk for infants to become sensitized to common allergenic foods. It is recommended to optimize the skin barrier by decreasing the use of drying soaps and detergents, and increase the use of nonallergenic moisturizers.
5. Dirt and dribble – again in support of the hygiene hypothesis, keeping good microbiota around at a young age, sharing germs with siblings, etc is a good thing. A study even found that when babies used pacifiers that had been dropped on the ground, the risk of allergies was lower.
There is still so much research to be done in this fascinating field. Stay tuned……