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Incremental Exposure May Lessen Milk Sensitivity

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Published: December 20, 2008

Can children allergic to milk develop a tolerance for it?

Recently, a small observational study randomly assigned 20 children (average age 10 years) with a severe milk allergy to take a gradually increasing dose of nonfat powdered milk or fake powdered milk daily.

At the start, the children could tolerate just 1/4 teaspoon of milk, on average, without a reaction. After four months, children in the milk group could tolerate about five to eight ounces of milk daily; those who had taken the fake milk still could tolerate just 1/4 teaspoon. As the dosage increased, reactions such as itchy mouth and abdominal pain were common, but 90 percent required no treatment.

The study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology had a small number of participants and did not determine if the children's increased tolerance was permanent or if they would lose their tolerance if they did not continue consuming higher amounts of milk.

Anyone interested in testing an allergic child's tolerance of milk should consult a doctor before doing so.

An estimated 3 million children in the United States have food allergies, an 18 percent increase in the past decade.

The Washington Post

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