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Allergy Relief / Allergies / Food allergy warning for newborns
Food allergy warning for newborns
Staff Reporter
COW milk causes one of the most common allergies in newborns, a seminar was told yesterday.
Speaking on causes of food allergies in newborns and six-month old babies, the paediatric dietician at the Dietetic Department of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Moufida Ghedamsi, said that because some mothers are in a hurry to introduce their children to regular meals, they usually fail to consult experts on what brand of baby food to give, thus causing severe allergies in young children.
“When we are talking about milk allergies in babies, we are talking of infant formulas because allergies in some babies could be congenital (from birth) or due to metabolic diseases like “galactosemia†(allergies to galactose).
She said though mothers are advised to breast feed their babies for up to two years, many working mothers may find this a bit difficult thus prompting them to introduce baby food formulas after 40 days or two months.
“Parents should realise that symptoms of some allergies may not manifest until after two years during which severe damages might have been done to the child and that is why we advise our mothers right from after delivery on the best formulas they can give to their children, which will not result into allergies or disorders,†she said.
Some symptoms of cow milk allergies in babies, according to her, include vomitting, diarrohea, skin irritation, mouth infections and many other manifestations.
“By weaning time around five and six months old when other food are introduced to the child, more allergies like wheat and fresh milk allergies may come to the fore.â€
She said that after one year, many children may start having allergies in certain fruits like strawberry, mango, banana, egg plants and also chocolates and chicken at times.
“Sometimes, parents will force their children to eat some of these foods, thinking they are being picky, instead if they suspect that their child is reluctant to eat or reacting to a particular food, the best thing is to consult a physician who will diagnose and tell whether it is an allergy or not,†she stated.
She noted that children with a family history of allergies are very susceptible, stressing that parents should not start administering drugs when they suspect any allergy without consulting a physician.
On preventive measures, Ghedamsi said: “If it is a simple allergy, for instance from a fruit or vegetable, we will instruct parents to avoid the food and provide them with a list of food containing allergic substance and sometimes for milk, we instruct them to always check labels for content of the milk before purchasing.â€
She mentioned that parents should watch out for some milk components such as casein, whey, skimmed milk powder and other addictives like calcium caseinate, adding that a special soya milk is preferable in some cases.
Ghedamsi said there have been ongoing efforts by the government to ensure that food processing companies provide special packages for children with allergies.
“For instance, some foods are being labelled gluten free just to prevent certain allergies,†she said.
“Mothers with children having wheat allergies are also being encouraged to use corn, rice or soya flour in bread and other products for their children.
From http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?
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