Probiotic Treatment Cures Milk Allergies

New research shows that probiotic treatment can cure milk allergies in infants.

Food allergies are on the rise in many parts of the developed world, with some estimates placing the increase at as much as 20 percent in the past 10 years. Allergies to cows’ milk have become particularly troubling, with many children experiencing frightening symptoms due to casein and/or whey proteins in the milk.

Most children will outgrow a milk allergy eventually. However, before they do, they will have to spend years avoiding milk, which can be very challenging considering the wide variety of processed foods that contain milk proteins.

Now, thanks to some promising new research it appears that kids and parents may no longer have to play the waiting game. Instead, milk allergies can actually be cured in infants using a new probiotic.

Researchers already knew that the bacteria in the gut can have a profound effect on food allergies. A prior study had shown that when infants were given a milk formula supplemented with a strain of bacteria known as LGG, they were able to develop a tolerance for the casein in the milk.

In the new study, researchers investigated how the LGG-supplemented formula had altered the composition of the babies’ gut bacteria. They compared stool samples from the babies who had been fed the LGG formula to samples from babies who were also allergic to milk but had been given regular formula.

They discovered that the composition of the gut bacteria was vastly different between the two groups. The babies who had been given the LGG formula and developed a tolerance for milk proteins had higher levels of butyrate-producing bacteria. Butyrate helps to suppress inflammation in the colon by suppressing certain overactive immune responses.

Specifically, the researchers identified two specific strains of butyrate-producing bacteria, Blautia and Coprococcus, that they believe are responsible for the infants acquiring a tolerance to milk proteins. They are now investigating ways to use these bacteria to create a clinical treatment that could cure milk allergies even faster than the LGG formula alone.

What to Do About Milk Allergies Right Now

Of course, much testing will be required before a new clinical treatment is available. Meanwhile, you will need help to manage your milk allergies or your child’s milk allergies. We can provide this help at Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group. We can advise you on strategies for allergen avoidance as well as provide testing to confirm milk allergy and define the rest of your allergic profile. Please contact us today for an appointment.