Could Muffins Help Children Outgrow Milk Allergy?

Could children with milk allergies reduce the severity of their symptoms if they are fed muffins and other baked goods containing milk? A recent study out of Melbourne suggests that when milk has been cooked or baked, children have a reduced risk of allergic reaction when they later consume other milk products.

According to the study's co-author Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn of the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, children who eat baked goods with milk find that their milk allergy symptoms grow less severe over time when compared with milk-allergic children who avoid all milk products. Nowak-Wegrzyn says "One approach is not right for all children with milk allergy. The majority does not need to and should not strictly avoid milk."

It is believed that the muffins were less likely to cause an allergic reaction because heating milk changes the shape of the proteins targeted by the immune system. This form of milk may enable the immune system to grow accustomed to the milk proteins, leading to a reduced reaction when the child is later fed milk that has not been baked or cooked.

Despite the potential promise of this approach, she also cautions parents with milk-allergic kids not to begin feeding their children foods containing baked or cooked milk unless advised to do so by a doctor. In addition, this strategy is not appropriate for those with lactose intolerance rather than milk allergy, even though both conditions affect the ability to consume milk.

In the study, milk-allergic children who were able to eat muffins with milk from the start of the study were also significantly more likely to outgrow their milk allergies. This suggests that a test could be developed to determine which children are likely to grow out of their milk allergy.

These results were recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Read more about the study here: http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/healthy-eating/muffins-may-reduce-m...