Mighty Minds: Our co-founder Dr. Gideon Lack featured in The Times: “Is modern parenting advice fuelling the allergy epidemic in children?”

As parents, we try to operate under a simple decision matrix: what will set our children up to be their best, healthiest and mightiest future selves? So it may feel a bit jarring to hear that modern parenting could actually be contributing to an increase in food allergies in recent years. Wait…what?!

Our Mission MightyMe co-founder Dr. Gideon Lack, world-renowned food allergy expert and Head of Pediatric Allergy at King's College, London, recently weighed in on the topic for an article published in The Times: Is modern parenting advice fuelling allergy epidemic in children?

First, let’s set the stage with some relevant bite-sized stats about the ongoing food allergy epidemic:

• Since the 1990s, developed nations have experienced a “second wave” of allergic conditions, predominantly in the form of serious food allergies.

• The rise in allergies is particularly acute among pre-school children and children in general.

• In the UK, the number of children admitted to hospital for food reactions has tripled in 20 years. This trend mirrors what we’ve seen here in the U.S., where food allergy rates among children have more than doubled and nut allergies have more than tripled in the last couple of decades.

The big question: why this staggering increase  in food allergies? According to Dr. Lack, a big part of the puzzle is a “perfect storm” of changes in parenting norms, including habits like increased washing and sanitizing, and a delay in introducing solid food to babies due to more prolonged exclusive breastfeeding. This dovetailed with guidance from leading health organizations that recommended – without solid data – babies avoid allergens like peanuts, tree nuts and egg in infancy. That advice was rescinded within the decade, but the damage was done: avoidance became the norm.

Everything changed in 2015, with the release of  Dr. Lack’s groundbreaking Learning Early About Peanut Allergy Study (LEAP) – which found that contrary to past medical advice, when babies regularly eat peanut-containing foods starting early in the first year of life through toddlerhood (age 5), it can reduce their risk of developing peanut allergies by 86%. This discovery reversed feeding guidelines around the globe to recommend early and regular consumption of peanut and other common allergens.

So while the dramatic rise in food allergies is certainly alarming, the good news is many food allergies are preventable with early and ongoing allergen introduction – and the latest guidelines from leading health organizations globally say just that! There are easy, practical steps to food allergy prevention that experts recommend when it comes to bringing up baby:

• Introduce solid foods – including foods like peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, fish and other allergens in baby-safe forms – to babies as early as four months. Simply put, early consumption of  allergens helps the body recognize them as harmless, avoiding the development of food allergies later in life. 

• Don’t forget that amount and consistency of exposure is key. Babies in the groundbreaking LEAP Study regularly consumed  peanut-containing foods starting early in the first year of life through age 5 to achieve the dramatic 86% reduction in peanut allergy rates. They also ate an average of 6 grams of peanut protein per week for the first 5 years of life (the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of peanut butter). 

• Foster a healthy immune system by spending more time in nature, with early exposure to pollen, animal fur and microbes on the skin and in the gut. The “Biodiversity Hypothesis” is a theory suggesting that a lack of exposure to nature (due to urbanization, overuse of antibiotics, and the above mentioned modern hygiene practices) leads to less diverse microbiomes in children. Read more on our blog about the 5 Ds of food allergy prevention – and learn why a little dirt never hurt. 

• Be on the lookout for signs of eczema, including dry, itchy skin. Increased hygiene practices, such as more frequent washing and use of stronger soap and detergents, may be contributing to the rise in skin conditions like eczema. A weakened skin barrier allows food allergen proteins to enter through the skin (rather than orally when a baby tries a food for the first time), making developing food allergies more likely. 

For those of you who may be wondering why eczema leads to food allergies, The Times explains the Hygiene Hypothesis (which was developed by Dr. Gideon Lack), like this:

Read more on our blog about the surprising connection between eczema and food allergies.

Fun fact: Finland implemented a national program encouraging earlier solid food introduction, reduced antibiotic use, and increased outdoor exposure to combat the allergy epidemic, and saw a significant 53% reduction in allergy-related hospital visits and improved overall childhood health outcomes. So try new foods (diet diversity for the win!), get outside, and have fun adventuring with your little one.

Lastly, continued awareness of food allergy prevention and the overall trend of rising food allergy rates is crucial. While modern parenting practices may be contributing to the rise in allergies, there are easy steps you can take to dramatically reduce the risk that food allergies develop in the first place. Talk to your pediatrician about whether your little one is ready to start allergenic foods and start those conversations early, so you have a game plan in place when your baby is ready for solids.  

Don’t miss the magic window for early introduction – make peanut foods a regular part of your little one’s diet with Mission MightyMe’s Nutty Puffs.

Please note: This blog post is for information purposes only and shouldn’t be used as personal, health, nutritional, or medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician with any questions about what to feed your child.

The Times article for reference: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/modern-parenting-children-allergies-christmas-appeal-dd2gzf9tc