Good news for milk-allergic kids

by Nicole Teed (Subscribe to Nicole Teed's posts)
Mar 4th 2008 8:00AM

Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Nutrition: Health, In The News

Got milk? New research offers promise that kids with severe allergies to cow's milk might be able to answer "Yes!" with white-mustached mouths.

Doctors conducting the research took 30 children with potentially life-threatening allergies to milk and exposed them to small amounts of milk over time. Kids started the program in the hospital under close supervision, and then continued to ramp up their exposure at home following a careful protocol. After a year, eleven of the 30 kids were able to eat and drink milk products without restrictions, and another 16 were able to tolerate small amounts of cow's milk without triggering a reaction.

Their success with this program will have parents of children with allergies cheering. Food allergies are a growing health risk, and the current methods for treatment can make life difficult. Avoiding all products with allergenic ingredients (milk, wheat, nuts, eggs, etc.) means careful label-reading, ongoing discussions about shared snacks and epinephrine pen instructions for caregivers.

Of course, the researchers are thrilled with the results but caution that this type of desensitization protocol should only be done under careful medical supervision. More research is needed to confirm the safety of their approach and to determine whether similar programs may work for allergies other than milk.

Thanks, RB!