Effect of early childhood cow's milk elimination diet on eating behaviours, nutrition and growth status at age 2-6years.

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the eating behaviour, nutritional status and growth of Caucasian children in ages 2-6years who had a diet because of cow's milk protein allergy (CMA) [immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated and/or non-IgE-mediated] in early childhood. In this cross-sectional, case-control study, the cow's milk elimination (CME) group comprised children aged 0-2years who were receiving a CME diet because of CMA, as confirmed by an oral food challenge test, and had reintroduced cow's milk for at least ≥3months. The control group never had a restricted diet. Eating behaviour and children's growth was assessed. A 3-day food record was taken to determine the macronutrient and micronutrient intake of the children. Data on the children's socio-demographic, infant nutrition and family allergy history were collected from their medical records and face-to-face interviews with mothers. In total, 62 children with a median age of 32months were recruited for the study. The total scores of food avoidance and satiety responsiveness in the CME group (n:31) were higher than in the controls (n=31) (p=0.036 and 0.006, respectively). Weight-for-age and height-for-age are statistically lower in the CME group than in the control group (p<0.001). A significant difference between groups in terms of dairy intake was recorded (p=0.011). In the CME group, the current frequency of adequate energy, vitamin B1, folic acid, vitamin C and calcium intake was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). Dietary interventions because of CMA at age 0-2years can affect children's nutritional habits and parental-reported assessment of children's eating behaviours, resulting in growth restriction with insufficient micro/macronutrients and/or dairy products at the age of 2-6years.