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by the Faculty of Harvard Medical School  Food for Thought Food
for Thought  Does Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Allergies?
July 11, 2013  By Tracey Alperin, B.S. Brigham and Women's
Hospital  An allergy is an overreaction by your immune system to
a substance (allergen) that is normally harmless. Common
allergens are dust mite, pet dander, pollen and certain foods,
such as eggs, milk, nuts and fish.  What causes an allergy to
develop?  There are three risk factors for developing an
allergy.    • Genetics – Allergies run in families. A child has
a much higher risk of allergy when there is a family history of
allergy.   • Contact with an allergen – Some evidence indicates
that prenatal exposure or exposure during infancy to an allergen
may make a child more sensitive to the substance. Exposure to
dust mites, cigarette smok