An overview of allergy prevention in breastfed infants

An overview of allergy prevention in breastfed infants
Saba Kalantari,^1,* Hanieh Hasankhani,² Maryam puryaghoob,³
1. BSc in Nursing, Member of the Research Committee of Abhar School of Nursing and Emergency Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
2. BSc in Nursing, Member of the Research Committee of Abhar School of Nursing and Emergency Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
3. Master of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty Member of Abhar School of Nursing and Emergency Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Introduction: Today, atopic diseases and food allergies are on the rise around the world and it is considered as one of the health problems. Food allergies are defined as an adverse immune response to food and it happens when the immune system responds to harmless proteins. That is, it cannot recognize them and think of them as pathogens. Because food allergies can be life threatening and children with food allergies are more likely to develop asthma or respiratory allergies, Therefore, food allergies must be taken seriously.
Methods: Data from the present study by searching databases" Google scholar, SID, Magiran, Clinicalkey, ScienceDirect " gathered and After extracting the materials related to the subject, they were analyzed.
Results: Exclusive breastfeeding reduces the risk of respiratory attacks, asthma, Skin allergies and eczema in in 27% of normal infants and 42% of infants with a family history. Insulin in breast milk causes premature infant's intestines development and decreased permeability to macromolecules that it plays an important role in preventing allergies and the development of the infant's immune system. Feeding a baby with cow's milk or artificial milk increases the IgG antibody titer and breastfeeding delays IgG production compared to cow's milk. Starting a complementary diet after 6 months has no effect on allergies, but foods like cow's milk, soy, eggs, fish if present in the mother's diet, it can cause allergies in infants.
Conclusion: Breastfeeding can strengthen the immune system and prevent food allergies as well as wider allergic reactions such as asthma , The anti-allergic effects of breast milk are evident even in adolescence and adulthood. Because breast milk can prevent one of the most serious forms of allergies, respiratory allergies and asthma, reduces treatment and hospitalization costs.
Keywords: Breastfeeding, Allergy, Prevention, Infants.