title: Breast milk antibodies to foods in relation to maternal diet, maternal atopy and the development of atopic disease in the baby.
abstract: Breast milk samples were collected from 152 women during the first week after delivery. The levels of IgG and IgA antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin and gliadin were assessed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The breast milk antibody levels did not differ significantly between mothers on a strictly cow's milk and egg-free diet, and mothers taking these foods. Moreover, the colostral food antibody levels did not differ significantly between atopic and non-atopic mothers. Neither was there any correlation between the colostral antibody levels and the development of atopic disease in the baby. I conclude that maternal antigen avoidance during late pregnancy does not affect the food antibody levels in colostrum. High levels of food antibodies in a colostrum sample seem not to offer protection against food allergy in the child.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fälth-Magnusson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology; D004032:Diet; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D005903:Gliadin / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000276:immunology; D008892:Milk / Q000276:immunology; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D007782:Lactoglobulins; D010047:Ovalbumin; D005903:Gliadin