Cereal Grains Not So Bad for Baby By Randy Dotinga

[Guest guest]

Cereal Grains Not So Bad for Baby By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

4 minutes ago

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to the advice of some

pediatricians, a new study suggests that waiting to introduce babies

to cereal grains might not be a good idea if you want to prevent

food allergies.

 

 

 

Babies who didn't eat grains until after they were 6 months old were

more likely to develop wheat allergies, researchers report.

 

 

" We recommend introducing cereal grains between 4 and 6 months of

age, " said study co-author Dr. Jill Poole, an assistant professor of

allergy, asthma and immunology at the University of Nebraska.

 

 

Poole initially expected the research would confirm the post-six-

months recommendation.

 

 

For reasons that aren't entirely clear, food allergies are becoming

more common among U.S. children, affecting an estimated 3 percent to

6 percent of all children, Poole said. Wheat allergies are among the

top five allergies, which also include egg, milk, soy and peanut

allergies.

 

 

There's controversy about when to expose babies to cereal grains,

which are typically the first foods that babies eat after breast-

feeding. Some specialists recommend cereal grains be introduced

after 6 months of age, while others advise that they be given

between 4 and 6 months.

 

 

For the new study, Poole -- who was working at the University of

Colorado at the time of the research -- and her colleagues enrolled

1,612 children between 1993 and 2004 and followed them through the

age of four.

 

 

Just one percent of the children -- 16 kids -- developed wheat

allergies. But the study revealed that children who were first

exposed to cereals (wheat, barley, rye and oats) after six months

were 3.8 times more likely to have developed an allergy than those

who first ate cereals earlier.

 

 

The risk of wheat allergy also went up by 1.6 times if the child was

exposed to rice cereal after 6 months of age and by nearly four

times if a parent or sibling had asthma, eczema, or hives, the

researchers found.

 

 

The study results appear in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.

 

 

Poole acknowledged that the number of children in the study who

developed grain allergies was very small. But, she added, there was

a " strong association " linking their allergies to their introduction

to cereal grains.

 

 

Why would it matter when babies eat cereal grains for the first

time? It seems to have something to do with the immune system, which

overreacts in people with allergies, Poole said.

 

 

" Previously, we had thought if you delay giving foods to a child, it

gives their immune system time to become mature and develop, " she

said.

 

 

But the study findings seem to debunk that theory, suggesting that

perhaps the body's immune system " needs to see the food protein

earlier to know it's not something harmful, and it shouldn't react

to it, " Poole said.

 

 

It may also be possible that children who begin eating grains later

may eat more, potentially aggravating their immune systems, she said.

 

 

Dr. Kevin Murphy, clinical professor of pediatrics at the University

of Nebraska, said genetic factors also appear to play a role in the

development of allergies.

 

 

He called the new study " excellent, " and said it confirms the advice

of the American Academy of Pediatrics -- introduce cereal grains

between 4 and 6 months of age.

[Guest guest]

I wonder if we ought to rely on news or even the wire! The jounalism is

sure flawed in this

case and maybe the study itself is too - how can you make a relevant conclusion

from less than 1% of

the participants.

 

Firstly, it matters whether these babies were breastfed or not, yet it was not

made clear. I wonder

if the whole article (for which you have to pay) specifies. Feed a baby formula

(have you read the

label? I wouldn't buy it for my grown up family no matter how good it tasted,

let alone a tiny baby)

and no knowing what can happen.

 

But, hmmmmmm, how anyone could draw the conclusion that early introduction of

solids is better than

late, I do not know. 1612 babies were studied, 16 (1%) of them were diagnosed

with wheat allergy and

of these, " 4 children with detectable wheat-specific immunoglobulin E were first

exposed to cereal

grains after 6 months. A first-degree relative with asthma, eczema, or hives was

also independently

associated with an increased risk of wheat-allergy development. "

 

The last sentence of the abstract is: " These results do _not_ support delaying

introduction of

cereal grains for the protection of food allergy " (my underlining).

 

Reporters will do anything it seems, to create a stir (pun intended), but why a

person with the

title " DR " should play ionto their hands mystifies me.

 

Val

 

Here is the abstract.

 

Pediatrics. 2006 Jun;117(6):2175-82. Related Articles, Links

 

Timing of initial exposure to cereal grains and the risk of wheat allergy.

 

Poole JA, Barriga K, Leung DY, Hoffman M, Eisenbarth GS, Rewers M, Norris

JM.

 

Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine and

Pediatrics, National

Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado, USA. jill.norris

 

OBJECTIVE: Early exposure to solid foods in infancy has been associated

with the development of

allergy. The aim of this study was to examine the association between

cereal-grain exposures (wheat,

barley, rye, oats) in the infant diet and development of wheat allergy. METHODS:

A total of 1612

children were enrolled at birth and followed to the mean age of 4.7 years.

Questionnaire data and

dietary exposures were obtained at 3, 6, 9, 15, and 24 months and annually

thereafter. The main

outcome measure was parent report of wheat allergy. Children with celiac disease

autoimmunity

detected by tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies were excluded. Wheat-specific

immunoglobulin E

levels on children reported to have wheat allergy were obtained. RESULTS:

Sixteen children (1%)

reported wheat allergy. Children who were first exposed to cereals after 6

months of age had an

increased risk of wheat allergy compared with children first exposed to cereals

before 6 months of

age (after controlling for confounders including a family history of allergic

disorders and history

of food allergy before 6 months of age). All 4 children with detectable

wheat-specific

immunoglobulin E were first exposed to cereal grains after 6 months. A

first-degree relative with

asthma, eczema, or hives was also independently associated with an increased

risk of wheat-allergy

development. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying initial exposure to cereal grains until after

6 months may

increase the risk of developing wheat allergy. These results do not support

delaying introduction of

cereal grains for the protection of food allergy.

 

PMID: 16740862 [PubMed - in process]

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest wrote:

> Cereal Grains Not So Bad for Baby By Randy Dotinga

> HealthDay Reporter

> 4 minutes ago

>

>

>

> WEDNESDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to the advice of some

> pediatricians, a new study suggests that waiting to introduce babies

> to cereal grains might not be a good idea if you want to prevent

> food allergies.