The following is a summary of “Identifying Children at Risk of Growth and Nutrient deficiencies in the Food Allergy Clinic,” published in the January 2024 issue of Allergy and Immunology by Venter et al.

Food allergies exert a significant impact on the growth of children, stemming from reduced nutrient availability due to factors such as diminished dietary intake, heightened dietary needs, interactions with medications, and the psychosocial burdens associated with managing these allergies. 

Existing guidelines for food allergy management consistently advocate for integrating nutrition counseling and growth monitoring in caring for children with food allergies. This narrative review amalgamates insights from national and international guidelines, retrospective studies, population studies, review articles, case reports, and case series to furnish clinicians with clear guidance on identifying individuals with food allergies who are at nutritional risk, thereby facilitating timely intervention.

Children with food allergies face an elevated risk of nutritional deficiencies and impaired growth. The review underscores the pivotal role of nutritional assessment and intervention in ameliorating outcomes for these individuals. Identifying poor growth emerges as a crucial step in the nutritional assessment, emphasizing the need for growth evaluation during each allergy assessment. Recommended interventions to ensure sufficient dietary intake for optimal growth encompass the judicious prescription of elimination diets, breastfeeding support, and assessment, supplementation with appropriate formulas and vitamins, substitution with suitable milk alternatives, and the timely introduction of nutrient-dense complementary foods. The ongoing concern of ensuring access to foods with appropriate nutritional value is highlighted.

In conclusion, implementing nutrition interventions or referral to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) possessing additional training and experience in food allergies emerges as a promising avenue for enhancing growth and nutritional outcomes among children grappling with food allergies. This guidance aims to equip clinicians with actionable insights to identify and address nutritional risks effectively in the context of pediatric food allergy management.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219824000795