Cow's Milk May Protect Newborns From Allergies

Mothers who feed their babies cow's milk in the first 15 days of life may be protecting their children from dangerous allergies later on, says a new study. "Women who regularly (daily) introduced their babies to cow milk protein early, before 15 days of life, almost completely eliminated the incidence of allergy to cow milk protein in their babies," says Prof. Yitzhak Katz of Tel Aviv University's Department of Pediatrics, Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

Babies on a cow milk diet for 15 days were almost completely protected from developing Cows Milk Protein Allergy (CMA).

CMA can cause rashes, respiratory problems, shock and even death.

Although the exact amount is still unknown, the paediatrician suggests a single bottle-feed at night for those mothers who are breastfeeding.

The study also reveals that three-to-five month period is the worst time to expose a baby to cow's milk.

If not exposed earlier, he suggests waiting until the child is one year old to introduce cow's milk into the diet.

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The findings are reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Source-ANI