Nursing mothers have been advised to stop eating nuts by the co-author of a study which found children who are solely breastfed for the first six months of life may be at increased risk of developing a nut allergy.
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Researchers from the ANU and the ACT Health Directorate found that children starting school in Canberra who had been exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life were 1.5 times more likely than other children to develop a nut allergy.
The finding was based on a study of more than 1,500 children over five years, and was published in the International Journal of Pediatrics.
Study author, Professor Majran Kljakovic of the ANU Medical School said women should keep breast feeding but avoid exposing their children to nuts through breast milk.
‘‘If I have babies or I have more babies I will recommend breastfeeding but I’ll throw away the nuts,’’ Professor Kljakovic said.
The World Health Organisation recommends that mothers exclusively breastfeed infants for the child’s first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health.
The research was published in the International Journal of Pediatrics and the authors noted that other studies had concluded exposure to allergens could occur with breast milk and result in senistisation.
Professor Kljakovic said the study results contributed to the argument breast feeding alone did not appear to be protective against nut allergy in children.
‘‘It may, in fact, be causative of allergy,’’ he said.
Almost four per cent of ACT children starting school have a parent-reported nut allergy which almost twice the rate than in Britain.
