The article Introducing Allergenic Food into Infants' Diets: Systematic Review , seeks to explore the connection between the scheduling of introduction of hypothetically allergenic foods to infants and development of food and other allergic diseases. Larson et al. (2017, p. 2) state that researchers initially recommended food allergies would be prevented by completely avoiding supposedly allergic foods up to four months of age. These allergic food include chicken eggs, cow’s milk protein, peanuts, wheat, soy, and seafoods. This hypothesis proved wrong, however, when prevalence rates of food allergies in children escalated, even after caregivers delayed the introduction of these foods.
Double allergen hypothesis has the opinion that a child develops an oral tolerance which prevents allergic sensitization when he or she is introduced too early consumption of food proteins (Larson et al., 2017, p. 4). This oral tolerance is a long-lasting immunologic situation whereby allergic reactions do not occur due to recurrent and repetitive exposure to antigen. If caregivers fail to introduce the foods between 4-7 months, the child may not develop the required tolerance (Larson et al., 2017, p. 5). Allergic symptoms may be mild or severe depending on the level of inflammatory response.
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In a study of many children from nine states (Larson et al., 2017, p.5), the findings proved that delaying the introduction of solid and potentially allergic foods to an infant does not prevent the development of allergies to food later in childhood. Children of parents who have food allergies or asthma are considered to be high-risk infants, and caregivers need to be cautious in introducing potentially allergic foods to them. Larson et al. (2017, p.6) suggest that nurses can help in giving more accurate guidance to parents and caregivers, concerning infant nutrition.
Reference
Larson, K., McLaughlin, J., Stonehouse, M., Young, B., & Haglund, K. (2017). Introducing Allergenic Food into Infants' Diets: Systematic Review. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing , 42 (2), 72-80.
