Hives on the skin, pimples on the body, suspicious stools or vomiting ... These are the feared symptoms that no parent wants to see in their baby when they introduce a new food in the diet. Why does that happen to our baby? It may be an indication that the immune system is unbalanced. We show you why allergies are increasing and how we can help prevent them.
The European Center for the Foundation for Allergy Research (ECARF) estimates that by 2020 one in two Europeans He will have developed some kind of allergy. Specifically, according to data from the Spanish Society of Clinical Immunology, Allergology and Pediatric Asthma (SEICAP), the number of children with allergies is increasing by 2% every year in Spain. This means that in the coming decades the percentage of children with allergies in developed countries will be 50%: One in two babies born will have an allergy.
The reaction to the allergen can occur after contact or after a few hours, depending on the type of allergy and how symptoms manifest
Given these alarming figures and the forecast of a growing trendIt is logical that parents worry about handling all possible information about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment associated with allergies. Can we help reduce the risk of our children suffering from them? The truth is that there are certain prevention measures What can we take But, first of all, it is convenient to know what we mean exactly when we talk about allergy.
Allergy: symptoms and factors
Health authorities define it as a exaggerated reaction of the organism to a substance which he perceives as a harmful agent. It can be a food, a drug, a substance in the environment or even an insect bite. If we talk about food allergy, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEPED) specifies that it is "a harmful reaction triggered by a food, which occurs because the immune system of allergic patients overreacts to a food that is usually well tolerated For other people".
In both cases, the body reacts as if it were an aggression, causing a series of easily detectable symptoms as usual. The reaction to the allergen can occur in a matter of minutes after contact, but also after a few hours, depending on the type of allergy and how the symptoms manifest. Among the most frequent are:
- The skin: redness, hives, inflammation, etc.
- Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pains, etc.
- Respiratory: sneezing, rhinitis and, in the most severe cases, obstruction of the airways.
As for the reason for the increase in cases of allergies in children in recent years, health authorities still do not find a common response, although they consider a combination of factors that could affect the development of the baby's immune system:
- Environmental factors: contamination, increase in cesarean deliveries, antibiotic abuse, etc.
- Genetic factors: Children with a family history of allergies are at greater risk than others. For example, if a parent has an allergy, the chance of their baby being affected is 20 to 40%; If both are affected, then it will increase from 40 to 60%.
- Changes in the type of feeding: increase in processed, additives, poor diet, etc.
- Excess hygiene: involves a delay in exposure to certain germs that prevents the immune system from fully maturing.
Tips to help prevent allergies in the baby
There is no vaccine that can guarantee that our baby will not suffer allergies. As explained from AlmiClub, it is your immune system that must be prepared to respond adequately to allergens. 70-80% of our immune cells reside in the intestine. A healthy microbiota or intestinal flora contributes to a healthy immune system.
The development and maintenance of good bacterial flora in the intestine and, in turn, a healthy immune system, can help reduce the risk of allergy. In contrast, lower levels of beneficial bacteria (for example, bifidobacteria) may impair the development of an adequate immune response, which may affect the ability to recognize harmful or harmless substances.
If breastfeeding is not possible, WHO recommends providing prebiotics and probiotics, available in some formula milks
In this sense, breast milk It is the best protection we can offer our babies since birth, since contributes to a normal development of intestinal flora, involved in the tolerance of food by the body.
What if breastfeeding is not possible? In those cases, WHO recommends providing prebiotics and probiotics to the baby for prevent the appearance of allergies. These components can be found in some formula milks. When buying them, we must always ask the pediatrician, who will assess case by case, his recommendation and advice to go about insurance. According to the guidelines of the World Allergy Organization, babies at risk of developing an allergy that do not feed exclusively on breast milk should also receive prebiotic supplements to help prevent allergies.
If we follow the sanitary recommendations, we will be favoring the stimulation of the baby's immune system so that you are better prepared to tolerate all kinds of allergens. Apart from this, it is convenient take into account family history Y check with the pediatrician in case of any doubt when starting with complementary feeding, at which time these undesirable reactions usually manifest themselves.
Images: Almiclub
