Milk Allergy Reduced with Baked Goods

Some allergies can go away over time. The most common treatment for allergies is to avoid the allergy-producing foods and hope the body resolves the issue over time. Another method involves slowly giving the allergen to build up immunity and reduce allergic reaction. Researchers say that milk allergy can be reduced with baked goods.

Up to five percent of children have an allergy to cow's milk. This type of allergy can be life threatening. Formerly, these children were made to avoid dairy products and would hopefully "outgrow" this allergy, which occurs in about one-fourth of these cases.

In a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers found that introducing extensively heated milk through baked goods could help reduce milk allergy symptoms in children.

Almost half of those in the baked goods group were able to have unheated milk and milk products after the study. This is compared to those who completely avoid dairy products, with only about one-fourth of these individuals being able to consume dairy with the avoidance method. Another fourth of those in the baked goods group were able to move up to products like pizza that include baked cheese.

The ability to consume the baked goods without reaction from the beginning of the study was a better indicator of recovery. The study showed that among children with milk allergies, about three-fourth of these children could consume muffins made with milk. There appeared to be a difference in tolerance to the milk once it was extensively heated within baked goods.

The study shows that if a child can tolerate baked goods made with milk, they are 28 times more likely to be able to overcome their milk allergy than those who cannot tolerate baked milk. Milk being extensively heated through baking seems to cause less of an allergic reaction than unheated dairy.

This "immersion" method is often used to help individuals overcome other allergies, such as peanut allergies, when small amounts can be tolerated without a life-threatening reaction. For dairy, it was found that this method works better when milk is heated through baking. This study gives some hope to children with cow's milk allergies that they may be able to reduce their milk allergiy by eating baked goods.

REFERENCE:

Jennifer S. Kim, et al.; Dietary baked milk accelerates the resolution of cow's milk allergy in children; The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749%2811%2900674-9/abstract