It is reported that one in five babies and one in ten children in Australia has food allergies. Schematic diagram. (Kristian Dowling/Getty Images)
[The Epoch Times, October 20, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Zhou Anzhu compiled and reported in Melbourne) A study led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne found that even if babies with food allergies grow up, Without food allergies, they are nearly four times more likely to develop asthma than other children. This research result is the first of its kind in the world.
According to the Herald Sun, the study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute examined more than 5,200 Melbourne babies in the HealthNuts study, and its paper was published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health ( Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Not only did the study find that these food-allergic babies had an increased risk of developing asthma as adults, but unexpectedly, they also found that their lungs developed more slowly before age 6; for those who remained allergic to food as adults, this The correlation is even greater.
It is reported that one in five babies and one in ten children in Australia has food allergies.
Rachel Peters, a pediatric epidemiologist at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, said the study was significant because it was the first to illustrate the link through clinical allergy diagnosis rather than self-report.
Peters said food allergies and asthma develop through “similar immune mechanisms,” which may be why there is a link. She said researchers were surprised and concerned by the slow development of the lungs in these children.
“Slow lung development in childhood has been linked to health problems in adulthood, including respiratory and heart disease,” she said.
“Lung development is related to both a child’s height and weight,” Peters said. “We know from previous research that children with food allergies are likely to be shorter and lighter.”
Now that the babies in the Healthy Nuts study have grown into teenagers, they will undergo follow-up testing over the next two years.
Peters said the next step for researchers will be to analyze the test results to further study whether the problems experienced by infants prone to food allergies “continue into adolescence and beyond” when they are 6 years old, and to investigate “whether there is any way to prevent food allergies.” Helps prevent asthma in children.”
Editor in charge: Li Xinran
2023-10-20 13:13:00
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