How Strict Should an Elimination Diet be?
The clinical aim is symptom management. There is no evidence that controlling inflammation leads to a better end result (disappearance of symptoms, quicker recovery from food allergy). So far, it is not known how strict the avoidance of food should be. Level of evidence: "D"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a statement regarding milk allergy: a special formula is acceptable if " it is tolerated by 90 % of children with milk allergy”. Due to the lack of clinical study data, recommendations of this type are only available for a limited number of foods 1.
References
- Taylor SL, Hefle SL, Bindslev-Jensen C, Bock SA, Burks AW Jr, Christie L, Hill DJ, Host A, Hourihane JO, Lack G, Metcalfe DD, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Vadas PA, Rance F, Skrypec DJ, Trautman TA, Yman IM, Zeiger RS. Factors affecting the determination of threshold doses for allergenic foods: how much is too much? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002 Jan;109(1):24-30. [PubMed]