The relationship between food allergies and children’s growth and development

Children's food allergies themselves will not directly lead to delayed growth and development. The core factors that ultimately affect development are the frequency and severity of allergic attacks, and parents' coping methods. Mild, well-controlled food allergies will not have a negative impact on height, weight, or psychological development.； However, if severe allergic reactions occur repeatedly or excessive dietary avoidance leads to insufficient nutritional intake, it may indeed cause growth retardation and even social and psychological development problems.

Last week in my outpatient clinic, I met two babies with milk and egg allergies of about the same age. They were both 3 and a half years old. Their conditions were not even the slightest bit worse. After the first baby was diagnosed with an allergy at 6 months old, the parents immediately cut off all egg and milk products. They did not even allow him to touch biscuits and bread dipped in egg milk, or even fried dishes with scrambled eggs in the cafeteria. They did not take any additional nutritional supplements. This time, he was measured to be 3.2 cm shorter than the median for his age, 1.8 kg lighter, and his hemoglobin is still low. He often catches colds. Another baby also has a secondary egg and milk allergy. The parents listened to the doctor's advice and drank deeply hydrolyzed milk powder. They usually use lean pork, shrimp, and soy products to supplement high-quality protein. Every time the kindergarten has a birthday, they say hello to the teacher in advance and give the baby special egg-free milk snacks. This time, the growth curve has been in the 50%-75% percentile, and the running and jumping is no different from that of a normal baby.

In fact, the industry's views on how to intervene in allergies without affecting development have changed several times over the years. As early as five or six years ago, the mainstream advice was that as long as the allergen was found to be positive, it should be strictly avoided for more than three years before trying again. Many parents believed that "it would be better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let one go". Even tableware stained with allergens had to be disinfected separately. As a result, many children became less nutritious the more they avoided food, and their allergy thresholds became lower and lower, and they would have an attack if they touched even the smallest amount of food. In recent years, with the deepening of oral tolerance research, more and more scholars support the plan of "early intervention and gradual tolerance at low doses." For example, the guidelines updated by the European Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology last year mentioned that children with non-severe allergic reactions can start to be exposed to allergens at low doses under the supervision of doctors after passing the acute attack period. Most children can return to a normal diet after 6-12 months of tolerance training, which can actually reduce the risk of long-term nutritional deficiencies. Of course, there are also objections to this group. Many grassroots pediatricians believe that if parents do not handle it properly, small-dose exposure will induce repeated allergic reactions. Long-term skin itching, abdominal pain and diarrhea will affect the child's sleeping and eating status, which is not conducive to growth. After all, most of the growth hormone is secreted during deep sleep. If you are itching and tossing and turning all night, you will definitely not grow well.

I have encountered something even more outrageous before. The old man thought that "allergies are just a child's squeamishness, just eat a few times and it will be better." He secretly fed his allergic grandson a whole egg. As a result, the baby started wheezing on the spot. He was sent to the emergency room in the middle of the night and was nebulized for three days before he recovered. After that, the baby cried when he saw the eggs, refused to even eat properly, and lost two pounds. This kind of extreme, whether he did not dare to eat at all or fed blindly, it was the baby who suffered in the end.

To be honest, the most common thing I say to parents of children with allergies is, don’t treat allergies like a scourge, and don’t take them seriously. Just like driving, allergies are a red light. If you try hard, something will happen, but you can't just turn off the car when you see the red light. Just wait until the green light comes on and drive normally. For example, if a baby with a milk allergy drinks deeply hydrolyzed or amino acid milk powder, remember to supplement with extra vitamin D and calcium. After all, the calcium absorption rate in hydrolyzed milk powder is slightly worse than that of ordinary milk powder. ； Children with egg allergies should eat 2 taels of lean pork or 100 grams of soy products every day. High-quality protein can also make up for it, so there is no need to eat nothing.

Oh, yes, there are also psychological effects that many parents ignore. I have seen many children with allergies who are in elementary school. Because they dare not eat snacks or attend birthday parties with their classmates, they are afraid that others will say they are "special", and they gradually become low self-esteem and withdrawn. This psychological impact is actually more difficult to intervene than being behind in height and weight. I used to have a 7-year-old child with a wheat allergy. He never dared to attend his classmates’ birthday parties before. Later, I asked the parents to communicate with the teacher in advance and prepare special wheat-free snacks for the child for every group activity. Now the child is willing to play with his classmates. After becoming more cheerful, his food tastes much better. He has grown 4 centimeters in the past six months, which is more than the previous year.

After all, food allergies are just an episode in a child's growth, not a terminal illness that cannot be cured. If you are too anxious all day long to dare to feed your baby anything, or if you feed it without taking it seriously, it will definitely become a stumbling block to your baby's development. ； If it is scientifically controlled and adjusted flexibly, it will not hinder the growth of the child at all. Of course, every baby's allergies are different. Don't just try it on your baby after reading some experience online. It's better to find a reliable allergist to follow up regularly and adjust the plan as needed.