Milk protein allergy elimination diets and breastfeeding mothers' nutrition
What it found
Breastfeeding mothers who cut out milk proteins for their allergic babies lost body fat but ate far fewer calories than advised, even with dietitian help.
This was measured in 35 mothers over one month.
What they found
Studies in people
Body fat dropped
After one month on the diet, the mothers' average body fat fell from 19.1% to 17.7%. Their muscle and water percentages stayed about the same.
Calcium intake rose
The mothers took in more calcium after adding supplements, rising from an average of 939.92 mg to 1322.18 mg per day. The authors link this higher calcium to the drop in body fat.
Calories fell short
Even though a dietitian recommended 2000 kcal a day, the mothers actually ate much less. Their average daily intake dropped from 1472.20 kcal to 1018.70 kcal over the month.
Protein and fat intake fell
The mothers also ate less fat and protein by the second check. Average fat intake dropped from 49.27 g to 37.69 g, and protein fell from 49.55 g to 38.16 g per day.
Many dropped out
Of the 86 mothers who started, only 35 completed the one-month follow-up. Most of the babies were around 3.8 months old, and nearly half had other food allergies besides milk.
What the authors conclude
- They say that cutting out milk proteins harms the metabolism of breastfeeding mothers, even when a dietitian helps them plan meals.
- They advise that doctors should pay attention to the mother's health, not just the baby's, when treating milk protein allergy.
- The authors suggest creating special foods with added calcium and balanced nutrients for mothers who must follow these strict diets.
How it was done
When a baby is allergic to cow's milk proteins, the breastfeeding mother must remove milk and dairy from her meals. The authors wanted to see how this restricted eating affected the mother's own nutrition and body makeup, especially her calcium levels.
They followed 86 babies with milk protein allergy and their breastfeeding mothers at three hospitals in Turkey. A dietitian gave each mother a meal plan aiming for 2000 kcal, 1000 mg of calcium, and 400 units of vitamin D daily. Only 35 mothers finished the study, and their body measurements were compared before and after one month on the diet.
What it can’t tell you
- This study had no comparison group of mothers whose babies did not have allergies. So it cannot prove the elimination diet alone caused the changes in calorie intake or body fat.
- More than half of the original 86 mothers left before the final check. The results might look different if everyone had stayed in the study.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by None. (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, Türkiye; İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Türkiye; Bakırçay University Hospital, Türkiye
The paper
- Title
- Cow's milk protein allergy damages not only the baby's health but also the mother's health
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Demir A, Tan H, Hacı İA, et al (2026). Cow's milk protein allergy damages not only the baby's health but also the mother's health. Allergologia et immunopathologia. doi:10.15586/aei.v54i2.1361Free full textPubMed 41814600DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error