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Once upon a time it was infectious diseases like polio, measles or tuberculosis that most worried parents. With these threats now largely under control, parents face a new challenge – sky-rocketing rates of non-infectious diseases such as asthma, allergies and autism.
Debbie Palmer BSc BND PhD Head, Nutrition in Early Life debbie.palmer@uwa.edu.au Head, Nutrition in Early Life Areas of research expertise: Maternal
Human milk is a rich source of immunomodulatory factors that influence the development of the infant immune system, including susceptibility to allergic diseases. Among these components, milk antibodies have been extensively studied for their role in protecting against infections; however, their potential contribution to allergy prevention may be equally important. The mechanisms of protection include allergen exclusion, enhanced and targeted antigen presentation, immune modulation via shaping of the infant gut microbiome, and direct regulation of gut immune responses.
When an infant is developmentally ready, a variety of nutritious foods should be introduced including the ‘more allergenic’ foods during infancy
In this review we examine maternal and infant dietary sources of prebiotics with a particular focus on non-digestible oligosaccharides, which undergo SCFA.
Maternal supplementation with 900 mg of ω-3 LCPUFA did not change the progression of IgE-mediated allergic disease symptoms or sensitization
Debbie Susan Desiree Palmer Prescott Silva BSc BND PhD MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD Head, Nutrition in Early Life Honorary Research
Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have found that introducing eggs and peanuts earlier during infancy reduced egg and peanut allergy risk. Hence, infant feeding advice has dramatically changed from previous recommendations of avoidance to current recommendations of inclusion of common food allergens in infant diets.
Food allergy affects families' quality of life, can be lifelong and life-threatening, urging the identification of early modifiable risk factors. Formula feeding in the first days of life may increase the risk of cow's milk allergy, a risk often attributed to cow's milk allergens exposure. Early formula feeding also reduces the colostrum intake, the first 3 days' milk, which is rich in bioactive compounds critical for immune and gut health. This study investigates whether partial colostrum feeding increases the risk of food allergy beyond cow's milk.
IgE-mediated sensitisation to egg is common in infants. In some cases, the processes leading to egg sensitisation are established in early life, even before introduction to solid foods. The underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.