Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Infant and childhood food allergy has now been linked to a mix of environmental and genetic factors that must coexist to trigger the allergy, reports a new study. Those factors include genetics that alter skin absorbency, use of infant cleansing wipes that leave soap on the skin, skin exposure to allergens in dust and skin exposure to food from those providing infant care. The good news is factors leading to food allergy can be modified in the home environment.
Also at
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/april/food-allergy-is-linked-to-skin-exposure-and-genetics/ and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2018.02.003
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180406085504.htm
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @11:38AM (7 children)
For as long as I can remember we were taught to limit exposure to potential allergens until the child reached a certain age (I did this with my son who now has allergies to both peanuts and eggs, as well as eczema, poor little guy). Then more recently we were told that lack of early exposure to the allergens actually CAUSES allergies and we should introduce these foods earlier in life. Now this study says that early exposure (although through the skin this time) causes allergies.
So does the early exposure cause allergies or not?!?!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by theluggage on Monday April 23 2018, @12:46PM (6 children)
The problem is right there in your quest for a definitive yes/no answer to an over-simple question.
A: Using the wrong engine oil in your car can cause the engine to fail - but not all engine failures are caused by using the wrong oil. Once the engine is a smoking wreck you might need to know a lot about engines to work out what caused it. Babies are even more complicated than engines.
B: Its one thing to eat a peanut. Its another thing to insert a bit of peanut under your skin (which, according to TFA, is what a combination of certain congenital skin conditions, excessive soap and externally-applied peanuts does). Feel free to experiment with (say) some medium-strength chillies: compare and contrast various routs of introduction.
(Which raises an interesting question about those allergy tests where they put possible allergens on your skin...)
However, if over-use of soap-impregnated baby wipes were a factor this would fit with some of the claims linking obsessive hygiene with allergies...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @12:58PM (3 children)
Maybe, and so maybe we should stop giving definitive yes/no advice to parents.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @03:36PM (1 child)
Maybe we should and maybe we shouldn't.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @03:58PM
Possibly.
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Monday April 23 2018, @03:46PM
Maybe the mainstream media should just stop reporting on scientific papers, a medium designed to
make money for journal publishers,give university admins a crude yardstick to beat researchers with,distribute knowledge amongst experts in the field, rather than educate the public? Discuss.Of course, they do try - most large media outlets have specialist correspondents to interpret particular subjects for the public, so in addition to a Middle East correspondent, a China correspondent, an Africa correspondent, a
footballhandegg correspondent, a soccer correspondent, a baseball correspondent an athletics correspondent, a motor racing correspondent, a tiddlywinks correspondent etc... they'll have a science correspondent, so that's OK. (In smaller organisations that may not be true - the science correspondent will probably have to cover tiddlywinks, too).Of course, Soylent News has an unusually
Dunning-Kruger proneeducated readership, so this doesn't really apply here.Wow, this "strike" tag is great for
stupid cheap jokessubtle sarcasm! :-)(Score: 2) by mobydisk on Monday April 23 2018, @06:25PM (1 child)
My wife developed an allergy to baby wipes about a year after our second child was born. Same wipes we used on our first child. But #2 took longer to potty train so she used them a lot more. It got to the point where she had to wear gloves to use the wipes at all - superficial contact would result in itchy red spots.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @03:20AM
wait a minute, she developed an allergy to this product, but kept using it on your kid? Something doesn't compute here...