title: Breast Milk and Food Allergy: Connections and Current Recommendations.
abstract: Breast milk, a living source of nutrition for babies, complements a baby's immune system, supplementing undeveloped defenses with immune factors while creating the foundation for the innate and adaptive immune systems. Such immune development includes tolerance of the environment and, in the case of food allergy, a lack of tolerance. Recent research questions the previous opinion that breast milk is protective against food allergy. This article reviews the immature immune system, the immunology and nutrition of breast milk, the literature exploring breast milk and food allergy, and the current recommendations regarding breast milk and the prevention of food allergy.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, PO Box 801355, 409 Lane Road MR-4 Building, Room 5051, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Alice E W
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hoyt
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, PO Box 801355, 409 Lane Road MR-4 Building, Room 5051, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Tegan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Medico
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, 3300 Thurston Building, CB 7280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7280, USA. Electronic address: aw2nc@virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Scott P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Commins
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: Breast feed; Breast milk; Food allergy; Newborn immune system