Covid habits linked to new allergy concerns in children

Even before the pandemic, Australia was the allergy capital of the world. Changes in our hygiene habits are even more complicated for scientists looking to improve the lives of her 20% of directly affected Australians and their families.

Professor Mimi Tang, an internationally renowned immunologist and allergist at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne, says that a child’s immune status and risk of chronic disease are determined in the first year of life. The key to good health is your gut microbiome. It is a collective term that describes the good and bad gut bacteria found in the digestive tract.

“We know that our gut microbiome is critical to training our immune system to stay healthy, meaning that it responds appropriately to potentially disease-causing harmful organisms, It’s about getting the right balance so that it doesn’t react to harmless substances like food,” says Professor Tang.

“Over the last century, our exposure to microbes has dwindled and has had a detrimental effect on our gut microbiota. I also lost my friend.

“Studies have shown that our gut microbiota differs from that of people who live in more traditional ways, such as hunter-gatherers in South America and Africa.”

it’s not as easy as eating dirt

Professor Tan, one of the co-authors of a new book trying to help families with food allergies, said the impact of COVID-19 habits on the long-term health of young children is not yet fully understood. .

“Increased use of antiseptics can have a negative impact on the gut microbiome,” said Professor Tang. “This has been a short time for most people. But children who have spent the first few years of life with COVID-19 can be greatly affected.

“The period between in utero development and the first few years of life is a period of development of the gut microbiota, and environmental exposures can either support or undermine the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome. Most importantly. It’s time.”

Many studies are underway, including an MCRI-led study looking at the complex environmental factors that increase the risk of food allergies in children, said Professor Tang.

She says it’s not “one plus one equals two”. Also, the solution for children to have a healthy gut microbiome is not as simple as letting children play and eat soil, like the soil composition in developed countries such as Australia. Much has changed in the last century.

“Food allergies result from a complex interplay between the genes you inherit and the environment you are exposed to, especially during childhood,” says Professor Tang. “A lot of work is underway to understand these interactions.”

It’s an exciting area of ​​research, she says, that could ultimately reveal the precise bacterial signatures that lead to the development or prevention of food allergies.

EXCLUSIVE: New Australian trial to combat peanut allergy

Professor Tang also explains that diet is another important weapon in the fight against allergies.

Studies show that a more varied diet in early childhood leads to a lower risk of developing food allergies. Eating a nutritionally balanced mixed diet also helps develop and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. This helps minimize the risk of allergies and other chronic diseases later in life.

Professor Tang and his institute colleagues are bringing their expertise to new Allergy friendly home cookbookproved to be a game-changer for one family experimenting with the recipe before it hit the shelves.

finally we can eat together

The James family has come a long way with food allergies. I tried to understand it and learned to live with it.

Both children, daughter Neve, now 9, and son Rafe, 5, have allergies. Where Neve got out of most of them, she’s gluten intolerant. However, Rafe is allergic to dairy, eggs, and some nuts.

That can turn meal planning into a minefield—Pippa, her husband Nathan, and the children themselves are familiar with the symptoms of irritability, pain, and discomfort that come with intestinal problems and food intolerances. .

Pippa said she found it difficult to find reliable information about what her family could eat when her children were babies.

“Because I’m breastfeeding and can’t eat what my kids can’t, I’ve always been looking for recipes that I can eat. I was trying to raise it. It wasn’t easy.”

She is trying out the new Allergy Friendly Family Cookbook. This is a joint project with allergy specialists at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and News Her Coop Her Australian food team. Taste.com.aushe called it “fantastic”.

The book provides simple information and recipes that have been clearly shown to be safe for people with a variety of allergies. It means that you can now work with

“I had the opportunity to sit down with my kids the other day and ask them to pick a recipe they could trust,” Pippa said. I was happy to be able to choose what I liked and eat it safely.”

New Corp Australia community ambassador Penny Fowler said the book will become a staple in the kitchen.

“This book and its recipes will become a mainstay for families across Australia in dealing with food allergy issues in their children,” said Fowler.

“It’s full of delicious recipes.

Australian kitchen.

“We are delighted that the team at Taste have worked with MCRI to create this valuable book to give children and their families confidence that the food they are eating is safe.”

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Taste’s Allergy Friendly Family Cookbook will be published by HarperCollins on Wednesday, March 22nd. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

first published as Covid hygiene may be linked to allergy surge, says expert with book giving Australian families new hope