A study shows that children who have an allergy to milk can outgrow their allergy if they are exposed to increasing amounts of milk that has been baked into food. This is important for parents of children who have this food allergy to be aware of, so they can start the process of milk exposure early.
There was a study done by researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. They looked at 88 children who had been diagnosed as having a milk allergy. The children were between the ages of 2 and 17. The researchers evaluated each child’s tolerance to milk that had been baked into food. In other words, how well could each child tolerate cookies, waffles, muffins, or other foods like those?
Over a five year period, researchers created a series of “food challenges” that introduced the children to foods that included more and more milk that had not been heated. When the study was over, 47% of this group of children were able to tolerate unheated milk products. This included foods like skim milk, yogurt, and ice cream. The study also involved a control group of children who were not allergic to milk. Their tolerance of milk only increased by 22% during this five year study.
One reason why this could be working is because of the heat. When you put milk into a baked food, (like a cake, or a cookie), and put it into the oven, the milk is exposed to very high temperatures. As a result, the proteins in the milk are broken down. According to the study, this breaks down the “allergenicity”, and allows children with milk allergies to tolerate the milk in baked foods.
The results of the study indicate that children who have milk allergies do not necessarily have to avoid all milk products. The implication is that a child could grow more tolerant to milk with the help of careful medical supervision that would essentially replicate what was done in the study. It may be possible to outgrow a milk allergy.
There are some differences between a true allergy to milk and lactose intolerance. I’m not sure if the study included children who were lactose intolerant, or if if it specifically used a group of children with actual milk allergies.
Lactose intolerance basically means that a child, (or adult), doesn’t produce enough of the enzyme called lactase to break down the lactose that is in dairy foods. When the child consumes too much lactose, (from drinking milk or eating ice cream), the child will typically experience gastrointestinal distress as a result. If your child has diarrhea soon after eating a lot of dairy products, he or she could be lactose intolerant.
An allergy to milk is expressed differently. In this case, children who eat or drink foods that contain milk can experience itchy raised bumps on their skin. They break out in hives. If you aren’t certain what foods are making your allergic child sick, it is advisable to talk with an allergist, who can help you sort things out. This could involve allergy testing, which will bring you much enlightenment.
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