Published 19:56 IST, December 22nd 2019
Study shows children allergic to cow's milk don't reach full growth potential
A recent study has shown that children allergic to cow's milk may not reach their full growth potential. However, it is unclear how these trends influence.
A recent study has shown that children allergic to cow's milk may not reach their full growth potential. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and it suggests that young adults with cow's milk allergy may not grow like normal adults. However, it is unclear how these growth trends influence how tall a child will become and how much they will weigh.
Drink cow's milk to reach full growth potential
One in 13 American children are allergic to some food product and it can vary from milk to soybeans to shellfish, wheat, peanuts, eggs, fish etc. Because there is no cure for these allergies, most of them remove the major allergen from their diet. This may also be the main cause for losing growth efficiency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Cow's milk is a core ingredient in foods for the prevention and treatment of undernutrition in children. It promotes growth, but there is limited knowledge of which components in milk have growth-stimulating effects. Cow's milk has a specific stimulating effect on linear growth, even in well-nourished children, and it may stimulate weight gain and height growth in undernourished children.
Dr Karen Robbins, MD, who was the lead author of the study said that many children outgrow cow's milk allergy in their early childhood but those who don't, may be at risk of growth loss in their adolescence.
The results from the study are believed to be the first one to study growth patterns in children from their early childhood. Around 191 children were involved in the study from November 1994 to March 2015. Out of 191 children, 111 were suffering from cow's milk allergies and 80 with nut allergies.
(with inputs from agencies)
Updated 20:55 IST, December 22nd 2019