3 QUESTIONS ON PREVENTION OF FOOD ALLERGY

There is some evidence that prevention of allergic disease should be c onsidered in neonates at high risk for atopy and that the mode of earl y infant feeding has significance in the development of adverse reacti ons to foods. Infancy appears to be the most vulnerable period with re gard to allergy and atopic disease, as this is the time of life when s ensitization occurs and the appearance of symptoms later on is determi ned. Atopy is likely to be genetically transmitted with a dominant for m of inheritance and offsprings from allergic parents are at higher ri sk. In these infants efforts should be made to prevent or at least pos tpone the development of allergic disease. The mother's diet during pr egnancy appears to have no significant influence on the development of food allergy in children. Breast feeding (especially if in associatio n with elimination of the major food allergens from the mother's diet during lactation) seems to reduce the risk of food allergy, at least t emporarily. Late introduction of food other than breast milk into the diet may reduce this risk even further. Feeding hydrolyzed milk-based formulas may be an alternative if breast feeding is impossible. The ef fect of complex preventive programs including elimination of food and airborne allergens and pollutants needs further evaluation.