The neonatal period is a critical time with regards to priming the gut for allergic disease. After birth the intestinal barriers and immunoregulatory networks are poorly developed and the post-natal period is a time for the normal commensal microbial flora to develop. The timing and dose of dietary antigens is imperative in this development. The mucosae are bombarded immediately after birth by a large variety of microorganisms as well as protein antigens from the environment. The mucosal surface is huge, 200 times the surface of the skin. There are two arms of the mucosal immune system to develop, IgA and IgM, both are antibodies to modulate or inhibit the colonization of microorganisms and decrease the ability of dangerous agents to get into the mucosal layers. The IgM is called the oral tolerance; this is induced via the gut against dietary antigens and helps to explain why there are persistent food allergies or sensitivities when this is triggered again and again.
The optimal mucosal barrier in the neonatal period depends on adequate supply of the breast milk particularly in relation to mucosal infections and also plays a significant role in protecting against hypersensitivity reactions to food. Antibodies to various dietary antigens, such as cow’s milk proteins and gluten are also present in breast milk. There are an ever-increasing number of children that have sensitivities to gluten and casein. By this research we can conclude that a breast fed infant will receive secretary antibodies directed against the microflora initially colonizing its mucosae and therefore be better protected both in the gut and upper airways.
If your child is now suffering with poor intestinal microflora the introduction of probiotics will help build the microflora. It has been shown that children with atopic eczema can have a 50% reduction by the age of two years when receiving the probiotic strain lactobacillus.
Those that have done testing previously may remember the IgA marker on the urine test. IgA is the first line of defense in the GI mucosa and when reduced may have greater food allergies and eczema. IgA is a crucial antimicrobial component also found in breast milk and those that show less tend to have “leaky gut” which leads to food allergies in many cases.
It takes up to 3 months after birth for the IgA to increase to adult values. It has been reported that those infants born to parents with low IgA show an increased prevalence of developing allergies, ear infections and eczema than those of the controls. For example, in studies they found cow milk allergies to be more prevalent among children whose mothers had low level IgA antibodies to bovine proteins.
As children grow and develop they are often given several rounds of antibiotics to treat various infections, this has significant impact on the establishment of microbiota as well as gut integrity. The disturbing of balance in this developing mucosal immune system can have long-term detrimental effects if not followed properly.
If your child is past weaning and you are struggling, there is much that can be done to mediate this immune response. The details are vast but know that the imbalance within the system can be resolved in most cases. Parents must make changes to diet and add supplementation to help the immune system recover but this is a small thing to do to have them functioning optimally again.
Those that have done testing previously may remember the IgA marker on the urine test. IgA is the first line of defense in the GI mucosa and when reduced may have greater food allergies and eczema. IgA is a crucial antimicrobial component also found in breast milk and those that show less tend to have “leaky gut” which leads to food allergies in many cases.
It takes up to 3 months after birth for the IgA to increase to adult values. It has been reported that those infants born to parents with low IgA show an increased prevalence of developing allergies, ear infections and eczema than those of the controls. For example, in studies they found cow milk allergies to be more prevalent among children whose mothers had low level IgA antibodies to bovine proteins.
As children grow and develop they are often given several rounds of antibiotics to treat various infections, this has significant impact on the establishment of microbiota as well as gut integrity. The disturbing of balance in this developing mucosal immune system can have long-term detrimental effects if not followed properly.
If your child is past weaning and you are struggling, there is much that can be done to mediate this immune response. The details are vast but know that the imbalance within the system can be resolved in most cases. Parents must make changes to diet and add supplementation to help the immune system recover but this is a small thing to do to have them functioning optimally again.
