Eat peanuts in pregnancy to reduce the risk of allergy in children

Introduction

The allergic reactions that occur in children and adults can vary from mild to life-threatening. A new research that has been done shows that women who take peanuts while pregnant reduce the risk of their children becoming allergic to the food. This is according to a study that was released by JAMA Pediatrics. The study concluded that these children had a 31% reduced risk of being allergic to peanuts after they are born.

Food allergy in children

The American Academy of asthma, allergy and immunology studies reports that approximately 8% of children have a food allergy. Four children out of those develop severe allergic reactions that require emergency medical care. Also Foodborne illness , also known as foodborne disease or food poisoning, is triggered by taking in contaminated foods or drinks. Food allergies cost the health care system of United States $25 billion annually. Reports indicate that 1.4% of these children were allergic to peanuts in the year 2010 and this was three times the number that was recorded in 1997. Most people who have food allergies develop it in childhood, and the most common one is a peanut allergy. The previous reports show that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the mothers whose children were at high risk of developing food allergies should not feed their children these foods until they turned three. The report was updated in 2008-2011 after the institution found out that delaying the introduction of the food to the child did not reduce the risk of becoming allergic to it. Another study that was done in 2009 showed that the children who were given peanuts at an early age had a reduced incidence of becoming allergic to peanuts. Dr. Ruchi Gupta, an associate professor in a school of medicine, noted that pregnant women should not be encouraged to avoid taking nuts while pregnant unless they are allergic to the nuts.

Revelations from the study

The study was done on children who were born between 1990 -1994 and the total number was 8,200. The authors of the study identified 308 cases of children who had a food allergy and 140 of those cases were allergic to peanuts. The authors discovered that the children of mothers who ate peanuts during pregnancy had a reduced risk of becoming allergic to the food. The study showed that these children had a 31% reduced risk of developing an allergy to peanuts. The mothers who ate fewer peanuts during pregnancy were three times more likely of developing an allergy to peanuts.rnThere were also other children who developed an allergic reaction despite the fact that their mothers ate peanuts while pregnant. This shows that the diet of the mother appears to impact the risk of allergy in children, but there are also other factors that matter. The study concluded by supporting the hypothesis that early exposure to allergen reduces the risk of childhood allergy to food because it increases tolerance. The authors also noted the fact that they are not advising pregnant women to take a lot of nut and peanuts. A further study needs to be done to show the correlation between the allergy development of an infant and the maternal diet. The study does not serve as a prescription in preventing allergy in children, but it helps to disregard the earlier notion that women who take nuts while pregnant increase the risk of their children developing an allergy it. This message goes hand in hand with the recent alterations that have been made by medical organizations in Canada and the United States. A statement was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008 stating that there was inadequate evidence to support the recommendations that had been given before. The recommendations stated that introducing children to allergenic foods would help to reduce their risk of allergy to that food. In 2013, the pediatric society of Canada together with the Clinical Immunology echoed the statement and encouraged pregnant women to introduce top allergen to their children.

Basic guideline

The basic guideline stand is that pregnant women should not stop taking nuts in their diet. This is because nuts are a good source of folic acid and protein and this helps in preventing neural tube defects in the child. It also aids in reducing nut sensitization and this reduces the risk of children developing an allergic reaction to nuts. However, this notion is not conclusive because there are other factors that can contribute to reducing the risk of food allergy in children and this includes the fact that pregnant women take healthy foods.

Conclusion

The recent studies show that the mothers who take nuts while pregnant reduce the risk of their children developing an allergy to the food. The study revealed that an early sensitization to a certain food reduces the risk of developing an allergic reaction to it. However, the study was not conclusive because there are other factors that can help in reducing allergic reactions in the unborn babies.

References:

1. https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com rn2. https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health