Research Suggests That Baked Milk Helps Kids Outgrow Milk Allergies

Milk allergies are relatively common among children. Although most kids outgrow it before they are 5 years old, it can be difficult as a parent to help your child avoid milk products, which are found in so many foods. New research suggests that baked milk, a type of boiled milk that is traditionally served in Russia and Ukraine, may help kids outgrow their milk allergies faster.

Baked milk is made by cooking milk over low heat for at least eight hours. It may be baked in the oven all day long or simmered on the stove. Like scalded milk, the cooking process kills bacteria and enzymes, making the milk safe to store at room temperature for several days. It can also be used in cakes, pies, cookies, and other baked goods.

It is thought that using baked milk in foods could help children with milk allergies become accustomed to the proteins in milk that usually cause them an allergic reaction. A research team at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) recently studied 88 children with an allergy to milk, feeding them baked milk in an attempt to determine how it could affect their ability to digest milk proteins.

Although some of the children could not eat baked milk without experiencing an allergic reaction, others could eat it without a problem, and over time it seemed that consuming baked milk also allowed them to consume regular milk. Study co-author Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn spoke about the range of reactions to baked milk, saying “Not all children with milk allergy are the same; there clearly is a spectrum of severity.”

She told MyHealthNewsDaily “If we can add this baked milk to the diet, it seems to be doing something for the children.” The results may be encouraging for the parents of children with milk allergies.

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