Breast milk linked to nut allergies

Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 09:30 in Health & Medicine

The likelihood of developing a nut allergy was 1.5 times higher in children who were solely breast fed in the first six months of life, than in children who were exposed to other foods and fluids. Image: KLSbear/iStockphoto Children who are solely breast fed in the first six months of life are at an increased risk of developing a nut allergy, research from The Australian National University has found. A joint research project between the ANU Medical School, part of the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, and the ACT Health Directorate, investigated a link between breast feeding and nut allergies using the ACT Kindergarten Health Check Questionnaire given to the parents of children starting primary school in the Territory. Parents were asked to report if the child had a nut allergy, and on feeding habits in the first six months of life. The study found that rates of nut allergies in ACT...

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