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Biomedical subjects

A Høst

Publications and source records attributed to A Høst.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Breastfeeding and allergic disease: a multidisciplinary review of the literature (1966-2001) on the mode of early feeding in infancy and its impact on later atopic manifestations.

BACKGROUND: Strategies to prevent children from developing allergy have been elaborated on the basis of state-of-the-art reviews of the scientific literature regarding pets and allergies, building dampness and health, and building ventilation and health. A similar multidisciplinary review of infant feeding mode in relation to allergy has not been published previously. Here, the objective is to review the scientific literature regarding the impact of early feeding (breast milk and/or cow's milk and/or formula) on development of atopic disease. The work was performed by a multidisciplinary group of Scandinavian researchers. METHODS: The search in the literature identified 4323 articles that contained at least one of the exposure and health effect terms. A total of 4191 articles were excluded mainly because they did not contain information on both exposure and health effects. Consequently, 132 studies have been scrutinized by this review group. RESULTS: Of the 132 studies selected, 56 were regarded as conclusive. Several factors contributed to the exclusions. The studies considered conclusive by the review group were categorized according to population and study design. CONCLUSIONS: The review group concluded that breastfeeding seems to protect from the development of atopic disease. The effect appears even stronger in children with atopic heredity. If breast milk is unavailable or insufficient, extensively hydrolysed formulas are preferable to unhydrolysed or partially hydrolysed formulas in terms of the risk of some atopic manifestations.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Prevention.

The development of food allergy depends on several factors, including genetic factors and early exposure to allergenic proteins in the diet, food protein uptake and handling, and the development of tolerance. Many hypotheses, as regards the possible causal relationships, have been raised during the past few years, including the hygiene theory, the role of bacterial gut flora, and the potential effect of different cytokines in breast milk. Although interesting, these are mainly speculations based on non-interventional and often retrospective/cross-sectional studies including small study populations. These theories remain to be documented in proper, controlled and prospective studies. Breastfeeding and the late introduction of solid foods (>4 months) is associated with a reduced risk of food allergy, atopic dermatitis, and recurrent wheezing and asthma in early childhood. In all infants, breastfeeding should be encouraged for 4-6 months. In high-risk infants a documented extensively hydrolysed formula is recommended if exclusive breastfeeding is not possible for the first 4 months of life. There is no evidence for preventive dietary intervention neither during pregnancy nor lactation. Preventive dietary restrictions after the age of 4-6 months are not scientifically documented.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of a partially hydrolyzed infant formula with two extensively hydrolyzed formulas for allergy prevention: a prospective, randomized study.

The aim of this study was to compare the allergy-preventive effect of a partially hydrolyzed formula with two extensively hydrolyzed formulas, in infants with a high risk for development of allergic disease. High-risk infants from four Danish centres were included in the period from June 1994 to July 1995. Five-hundred and ninety-five high-risk infants were identified. High-risk infants were defined as having biparental atopy, or a single atopic first-degree relative combined with cord blood immunoglobulin E (IgE)> or =0.3 kU/l. At birth all infants were randomized to one of three different blinded formulas. All mothers had unrestricted diets during pregnancy and lactation and were encouraged to breast-feed exclusively. If breast-feeding was insufficient, one of the three formulas, according to randomization, was given during the first 4 months. It was recommended not to introduce cow's milk, cow's milk products. and solid foods until the age of 4 months. After the age of 4 months a normal unrestricted diet and conventional cow's milk-based formula were given when needed. All infants were followed-up prospectively with interview and physical examination at the age of 6, 12, and 18 months, and if any possible atopic symptoms were reported. If food allergy was suspected, controlled elimination/challenge procedures were performed in a hospital setting. Of 550 infants included in the study, 514 were seen at all visits and 36 were excluded owing to noncompliance. Of 478 infants who completed the study, 232 were exclusively breast-fed, 79 received an extensively hydrolyzed casein formula (Nutramigen), 82 an extensively hydrolyzed whey formula (Profylac), and 85 a partially hydrolyzed whey formula (Nan HA), during the first 4 months of life. These four groups were identical in regard to atopic predisposition, cord blood IgE, birthplace, and gender. Exclusively breast-fed children were exposed less to tobacco smoke and pets at home and belonged to higher social classes, whereas the three formula groups were identical concerning environmental factors. The frequency of breast-feeding was high; only eight (2%) children were not breast-fed at all. The three formula groups were identical in regard to duration of breast-feeding and age at introduction of formula and solid foods. No significant differences were found in the three groups of infants receiving formula milk regarding the cumulative incidence of atopic dermatitis or respiratory symptoms. The cumulative incidence of parental-reported cow's milk allergy was significantly higher in children fed partially hydrolyzed formula (Nan HA) compared with extensively hydrolyzed formula (Nutramigen or Profylac) at 12 and 18 months (NanHA, 7.1%; Nutramigen, 2.5%; Profylac, 0%; p=0.033). The cumulative incidence of confirmed cow's milk allergy was 1.3% (three of 232) in exclusively breast-fed infants, 0.6% (one of 161) in infants fed extensively hydrolyzed formula (Nutramigen or Profylac), and 4.7%(four of 85) in infants fed partially hydrolyzed formula (Nan HA). Partially hydrolyzed formula was found to be less effective than extensively hydrolyzed formula in preventing cow's milk allergy, 0.6% vs. 4.7% (p=0.05), but because of the small number of cases the results should be interpreted with caution. Compared with other similar studies the frequency ofatopic symptoms was low, even though the dietetic intervention did not include either maternal diet during lactation or dietary restrictions to the children after the age of 4 months.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1997

Weight, length and head circumference standards based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks 25 to 43.

Growth standards of birth weight, birth length and birth head circumference were constructed based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks twenty-five to forty-three. Study populations were residents of the municipality of Odense for later gestational ages and residents of the county of Funen for early gestational ages. Strict selection criteria were employed.

Birth Weight↗