Debunking Food Allergy Myths

There has been some great information coming out of last week's Conference of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). One of the speakers, Dr.  David Stukus, presented on the outdated information related to allergies that still circulates. Among the myths:

• "I can't get the flu shot because I'm allergic to eggs."
• "I'm allergic to food dyes."
• "I can take an at-home blood test to find out which foods I'm allergic to."
• Avoid giving highly allergenic foods to babies for their first 12 months of life.

It is difficult to stay on top of the latest research, but it is important for families to be aware of the changing conversations about food allergies. Reach out to your allergist if you have any questions about how to manage food allergy. You can read the complete news release of Dr. Stukus's presentation here.

Lower Weight and BMI Linked to Food Allergies

Food Allergies and Low Weight

A recent study of 245 food allergic children found that children with food allergies had lower percentiles for weight, height and BMI compared to age-matched "healthy" children. 

The information about this study was presented at the annual conference of the America Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). The study went further and looked at the relationship between growth and the number of food allergies.

No surprise here...children with a greater number of food allergies had lower height and weight percentiles. 

Dairy Allergy

More specifically, multiple food allergies and/or milk allergy was found to result in the lowest percentiles.

“The relationships uncovered between food allergic children,particularly those with more than two and those suffering from milk allergy, and the examined growth markers stress the need for nutritional assessment and intervention to ensure that food allergies do not contribute to any growth delay,” explained AAAAI President and study author A.Wesley Burks, MD, FAAAAI. 

I hope this also highlights the need for food allergy savvy nutritionists. We've visited two nutritionists recommended by our allergist. Both left me wondering why I was the one writing the check after I was told by the professionals, "Wow, you taught me a lot. I had no idea!"

Over the years, I've tried to enrich foods whenever possible by incorporating soy flour in my baked goods, adding almonds to recipes or using flax as an egg substitute. Fortunately many of the rice and soy milks now come enriched with calcium and Vitamin D. 

It's enough to worry about keeping our kids safe by avoiding allergens. Now we must also face what that avoidance is doing to their physical growth and development.

Sigh....

Do you have ways to sneak in some extra nutrients into your food allergic child's diet? 
Have you observed a correlation between food allergies and the impact on growth? 

You can check out the press release from AAAAI about this study for more information.