Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Around the time DD was born, there was a study out about peanut allergies in different countries, and one of the takeaways from it was that peanut allergies are very, very rare in Israel and they think it might have to do with the extreme popularity of bombas, a puffed snack covered in peanut powder. This was part of what drove the theory that peanut allergies were increasing because people were avoiding exposing their kids to peanuts, preventing them from developing healthy immune response to the allergen.

Now you are encouraged to expose your kid to small amounts of peanuts early (around the time solids are introduced) and kids who are found to have a peanut allergy are generally treated through progressive exposure. It doesn't always get rid of the allergy but it can reduce it's severity a lot, which is a big deal because, as you will learn in the other thread, having a kid who has a severe food allergy to any common food is incredibly stressful and limiting. Even if your kid never loses their peanut allergy, you could get to the point where exposure to small amounts, especially on your hands or just traces in food, would cause a mild reaction, not a deadly one requiring an epi pen.

In any case, we were nervous about introducing our baby to peanuts because we'd heard all these horror stories about allergies. Our pediatrician suggested bombas, which they now sell at Trader Joe's under their house brand, and now it's a favorite snack in our family.

But Americans eat so much peanut butter though. Babies get exposed to it from the mother in Utero and while breastfeeding. That should count no? We don't eat peanuts that much in Europe, at least not daily.
On another note, there was a study linking using frequent use of moisturizer on babies to food allergies. They used to say it's important to moisturize to create a barrier from allergen on the skin (which can cause allergies if the allergen is not already in the diet). But now some are saying that moisturizer a lot breaks down the natural skin barrier and introduces allergens from the parents hands... Confusing

DP and no, it doesn’t count. I ate a ton of PB while pregnant and breastfeeding all three kids; one of them still has PN allergies.

This study came out shortly after that kid was diagnosed and his allergist full-on admitted that docs had been giving the wrong advice (to avoid peanut early in life). Interestingly, one of the leading theories is that if peanut is introduced via the skin before orally, the body learns to treat it as dangerous, i.e., peanut allergy. DS had horrible eczema when he was a baby, and it’s almost certain some small amount got in through his skin. I’d guess that those parents using a lot of moisturizer on their infants are doing so because they have eczema, as we did.

That was my immediate reaction too but the study was carried out on 2 cohort, one with eczema and one without and the results were the same.
Wouldn't breast feeding count as oral exposure though? I breastfed my kids but one of them was already clearly allergic to stuff I was eating. That right after she was borne. So I didn't have a chance to give her any food yet. In that case oral introduction preceded skin contact.

There is one theory that the western diet has led to increases gut permeability, meaning the intact proteins from our food pass into our bloodstream and therefore our breastmilk. So, kids are getting large exposures to various proteins via breastmilk that they didn’t get in previous generations. Their body is not ready to handle these exposures yet. It can cause GI issues, colic, or in some cases, this leads to immune overreaction and you get a full blown allergy when the kid tries the solid food later.

I'm actually convinced about that (leaky gut - allergies connection). I just find it hard to explain by diet alone. Lots of families with allergic kids eat a good diet with few processed foods. In that case you would think the economically disadvantaged families would have a much higher proportion of allergies but it's not the case. Or maybe it's the combination of what you said and breastfeeding? That could explain the prevalence of allergies in wealthier families (who are more likely to breastfeed).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

And that especially for peanut and tree nut allergies, it is likely better for kids to be exposed young, and for even those kids who experience an allergic reaction to be treated with exposure to peanuts and tree nuts (starting in small controlled doses and building up) rather than in trying to create a peanut free cocoon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Around the time DD was born, there was a study out about peanut allergies in different countries, and one of the takeaways from it was that peanut allergies are very, very rare in Israel and they think it might have to do with the extreme popularity of bombas, a puffed snack covered in peanut powder. This was part of what drove the theory that peanut allergies were increasing because people were avoiding exposing their kids to peanuts, preventing them from developing healthy immune response to the allergen.

Now you are encouraged to expose your kid to small amounts of peanuts early (around the time solids are introduced) and kids who are found to have a peanut allergy are generally treated through progressive exposure. It doesn't always get rid of the allergy but it can reduce it's severity a lot, which is a big deal because, as you will learn in the other thread, having a kid who has a severe food allergy to any common food is incredibly stressful and limiting. Even if your kid never loses their peanut allergy, you could get to the point where exposure to small amounts, especially on your hands or just traces in food, would cause a mild reaction, not a deadly one requiring an epi pen.

In any case, we were nervous about introducing our baby to peanuts because we'd heard all these horror stories about allergies. Our pediatrician suggested bombas, which they now sell at Trader Joe's under their house brand, and now it's a favorite snack in our family.

But Americans eat so much peanut butter though. Babies get exposed to it from the mother in Utero and while breastfeeding. That should count no? We don't eat peanuts that much in Europe, at least not daily.
On another note, there was a study linking using frequent use of moisturizer on babies to food allergies. They used to say it's important to moisturize to create a barrier from allergen on the skin (which can cause allergies if the allergen is not already in the diet). But now some are saying that moisturizer a lot breaks down the natural skin barrier and introduces allergens from the parents hands... Confusing

DP and no, it doesn’t count. I ate a ton of PB while pregnant and breastfeeding all three kids; one of them still has PN allergies.

This study came out shortly after that kid was diagnosed and his allergist full-on admitted that docs had been giving the wrong advice (to avoid peanut early in life). Interestingly, one of the leading theories is that if peanut is introduced via the skin before orally, the body learns to treat it as dangerous, i.e., peanut allergy. DS had horrible eczema when he was a baby, and it’s almost certain some small amount got in through his skin. I’d guess that those parents using a lot of moisturizer on their infants are doing so because they have eczema, as we did.

That was my immediate reaction too but the study was carried out on 2 cohort, one with eczema and one without and the results were the same.
Wouldn't breast feeding count as oral exposure though? I breastfed my kids but one of them was already clearly allergic to stuff I was eating. That right after she was borne. So I didn't have a chance to give her any food yet. In that case oral introduction preceded skin contact.

There is one theory that the western diet has led to increases gut permeability, meaning the intact proteins from our food pass into our bloodstream and therefore our breastmilk. So, kids are getting large exposures to various proteins via breastmilk that they didn’t get in previous generations. Their body is not ready to handle these exposures yet. It can cause GI issues, colic, or in some cases, this leads to immune overreaction and you get a full blown allergy when the kid tries the solid food later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

You didn't do anything wrong, and it's not your fault.

The highlighted above used to be the recommendation to parents to avoid allergies, especially peanut allergies. It's not anymore. I posted about this upthread. Right around the time my DD was born, the medical community became aware of comparative studies on food allergies indicating that the prevailing wisdom at the time, which was to be very cautious about exposing young kids to known allergens, was probably wrong. And that especially for peanut and tree nut allergies, it is likely better for kids to be exposed young, and for even those kids who experience an allergic reaction to be treated with exposure to peanuts and tree nuts (starting in small controlled doses and building up) rather than in trying to create a peanut free cocoon.

But they just figured this out a few years ago! If your kids were born today, your doctor would likely encourage you to expose your kids to nuts between 6mo and a year. My pediatrician actually gave me a hard time when I told her I hadn't given my baby peanuts yet (because I was afraid, because of what I'd previously heard about allergies). And she was right.

It's not parents fault. We were given bad advice on the basis of an incorrect assumption made by the medical community. Go talk to a pediatrician about allergies now. They are seeing fewer peanut allergies in kids exposed to peanuts by age 1, and they are seeing success in reducing the severity of, or even eliminating, peanut allergies in young kids via exposure.

I think one reason you see higher rates of peanut allergies in UMC and wealthy American kids is that they have very good access to medical care and have parents who are likely to follow the advice of their pediatrician to the t. So when pediatricians said "don't expose your kids to nuts!" everyone followed suit, daycares and preschools banned nuts, and an entire generation of well-off American kids didn't get a chance for their immune system to acclimate to peanuts.

It's not about blaming parents, it's about correcting our assumptions. We made some bad assumptions. I'm sorry it impacted your kids. I definitely don't blame you for their allergies!

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Around the time DD was born, there was a study out about peanut allergies in different countries, and one of the takeaways from it was that peanut allergies are very, very rare in Israel and they think it might have to do with the extreme popularity of bombas, a puffed snack covered in peanut powder. This was part of what drove the theory that peanut allergies were increasing because people were avoiding exposing their kids to peanuts, preventing them from developing healthy immune response to the allergen.

Now you are encouraged to expose your kid to small amounts of peanuts early (around the time solids are introduced) and kids who are found to have a peanut allergy are generally treated through progressive exposure. It doesn't always get rid of the allergy but it can reduce it's severity a lot, which is a big deal because, as you will learn in the other thread, having a kid who has a severe food allergy to any common food is incredibly stressful and limiting. Even if your kid never loses their peanut allergy, you could get to the point where exposure to small amounts, especially on your hands or just traces in food, would cause a mild reaction, not a deadly one requiring an epi pen.

In any case, we were nervous about introducing our baby to peanuts because we'd heard all these horror stories about allergies. Our pediatrician suggested bombas, which they now sell at Trader Joe's under their house brand, and now it's a favorite snack in our family.

But Americans eat so much peanut butter though. Babies get exposed to it from the mother in Utero and while breastfeeding. That should count no? We don't eat peanuts that much in Europe, at least not daily.
On another note, there was a study linking using frequent use of moisturizer on babies to food allergies. They used to say it's important to moisturize to create a barrier from allergen on the skin (which can cause allergies if the allergen is not already in the diet). But now some are saying that moisturizer a lot breaks down the natural skin barrier and introduces allergens from the parents hands... Confusing

DP and no, it doesn’t count. I ate a ton of PB while pregnant and breastfeeding all three kids; one of them still has PN allergies.

This study came out shortly after that kid was diagnosed and his allergist full-on admitted that docs had been giving the wrong advice (to avoid peanut early in life). Interestingly, one of the leading theories is that if peanut is introduced via the skin before orally, the body learns to treat it as dangerous, i.e., peanut allergy. DS had horrible eczema when he was a baby, and it’s almost certain some small amount got in through his skin. I’d guess that those parents using a lot of moisturizer on their infants are doing so because they have eczema, as we did.

That was my immediate reaction too but the study was carried out on 2 cohort, one with eczema and one without and the results were the same.
Wouldn't breast feeding count as oral exposure though? I breastfed my kids but one of them was already clearly allergic to stuff I was eating. That right after she was borne. So I didn't have a chance to give her any food yet. In that case oral introduction preceded skin contact.

Anonymous wrote:You never hear about peanut allergies in Asia, Africa, South America, etc. It’s clearly linked to the way we live in the US and Western countries. Too clean, crappy food, too much time indoors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

Just stop. We can have a discussion on this without parents feeling like they're being blamed. I don't think parents can 100% avoid peanut allergies, but parents do have an impact on it.