Latest news with #cowmilk
Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Allergic boy, 5, died after oat-milk error at school
A five-year-old boy who was a member of Mensa died after an allergic reaction to cow's milk 'most probably' from his own cup, a jury inquest has concluded. Benedict Blythe, who was a reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, died in hospital from food-induced anaphylaxis on December 1, 2021. He had vomited twice before going into cardiac arrest. He had asthma and several allergies, including cow's milk, eggs and some nuts. At the end of the eight-day inquest at Peterborough town hall, jurors recorded the conclusion as 'accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis'. 'We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time,' a foreman for the jury said.
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Boy, 5, killed by allergic reaction to cow's milk at school
A five-year-old boy was killed by an allergic reaction to cow's milk he was accidentally exposed to at school, an inquest jury has found. Benedict Blythe, who was a member of Mensa, died following the reaction on Dec 1 2021. The reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, vomited twice before going into cardiac arrest. Jurors heard that he was asthmatic and allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts. On Wednesday, the foreman of the jury at Peterborough Town Hall said: 'We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time.' Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest, Benedict's mother Helen Blythe said: 'Three and a half years ago, we lost our son. Benedict died in a place where he should have been safe – his school. 'Benedict's death was preventable and was caused by a cascade of failures – individual, institutional, and systemic.' Factors that the jury found 'probably caused' Benedict's death include the delayed administration of his adrenaline, opportunities for cross-contamination or mix-up of milk, and that his allergy plan was not shared with teaching staff. Jurors recorded the conclusion as 'accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis'. The jury also found Benedict's recent illness, exercise, his uncontrolled asthma, and a 'missed opportunity' to review 'lessons learned' after he had an allergic reaction to pizza at school in the October before his death were other factors. Benedict was kept home from school the day before he died because he had been unwell and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' the next morning before school. The eight-day inquest heard that he ate a McVitie's gingerbread biscuit during break time that morning, which he had eaten on previous occasions, and refused to drink a bottle of oat milk poured by his teacher. The jury was told that a sample of the biscuit was independently tested for cow's milk proteins, but traces were not detectable. He also ate dairy-free chocolate before he went to school, which his parents had put into an advent calendar, and his usual breakfast cereal with oat milk. Elizabeth Gray, area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, told the jury they 'may not record' that the allergic reaction was a response to the biscuit, the chocolate, or his breakfast, based on the evidence heard. Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in asthma and allergy, concluded that a 'small amount' of cow's milk most likely caused the fatal anaphylactic reaction, because Benedict had a 'life-threatening' milk allergy – while his egg allergy was 'mild', the jury was told. The inquest heard Benedict's adrenaline auto-injector was administered twice by a teaching assistant, before CPR and a defibrillator were attempted, but he died later that day at Peterborough City Hospital. The jury was told that Benedict's oat milk, given to the school by his parents, was kept in a separate fridge in the staff room along with a carton of lactose-free milk for another child in his class. Jenny Brass, the class teacher, told the inquest she would not have confused Benedict's oat milk with the lactose-free milk, which he could not drink because it contained dairy allergens. The inquest heard it is possible Benedict took a sip of the drink when his back was turned away from the teacher. Vomiting 'always' the first symptom The jury concluded that the school's usual procedure of giving Benedict his milk was not followed on the day of his death because the milk was poured into his cup in the staff room rather than in the classroom and given 'directly' to him. Benedict's mother said the school was given a management plan for his allergic reactions, and said vomiting was 'always' the first symptom. The jury heard that Benedict loved school, was 'extremely bright', and was 'thriving' in the three months he spent there before his death. The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in the schoolboy's memory and, along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, launched the schools allergy code last year to set out how schools can keep pupils safe. Speaking outside Peterborough Town Hall after the conclusion of the inquest, Mrs Blythe said: 'There were critical failings from the very beginning. 'The investigation at the time was inadequate as the evidence needed to establish how and why he died was never obtained. Because of that, precious time was lost – and with it, opportunities to understand what happened to our son. 'No more children should die at school because of an allergy. 'We demand change. We call on this government to protect our children with Benedict's Law, making it mandatory to have an allergy policy in every school, staff allergy training including understanding allergies, how to manage them and identify signs of a reaction, and respond quickly in an emergency, and spare adrenaline allergy pens in every school. 'Proper oversight. Real accountability. Immediate action. We owe that to every child.'
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Boy, five, died after 'accidentally being exposed to' cow's milk protein at school, inquest hears
A five-year-old boy who died after an allergic reaction at school was accidentally exposed to cow's milk protein - probably from his own bottle, an inquest jury has concluded. Benedict Blythe, who was a reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, died in hospital from food-induced anaphylaxis on December 1, 2021, after he vomited twice before going into cardiac arrest. Jurors heard that the boy, who joined high-IQ society Mensa aged four, was asthmatic and allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts. On Wednesday, the foreperson of the jury at Peterborough Town Hall said: 'We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time.' Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest, Benedict's mother Helen Blythe said: 'Three and a half years ago, we lost our son. Benedict died in a place where he should have been safe - his school. 'Benedict's death was preventable and was caused by a cascade of failures -individual, institutional, and systemic.' Factors which the jury found 'probably caused' Benedict's death include the delayed administration of his adrenaline, opportunities for cross-contamination or mix up of milk, and that his allergy plan was not shared with teaching staff. Jurors recorded the conclusion as 'accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis'. The jury also found Benedict's recent illness, exercise, his uncontrolled asthma, and a 'missed opportunity' to review 'lessons learned' after he had an allergic reaction to pizza at school in the October before his death were other factors. Benedict was kept home from school the day before he died because he had been unwell and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' the next morning before school. The eight-day inquest heard that he ate a McVitie's gingerbread biscuit during break time that morning, which he had eaten on previous occasions, and refused to drink a bottle of oat milk poured by his teacher. The jury was told that a sample of the biscuit was independently tested for cow's milk proteins, but traces were not detectable. He also ate dairy-free chocolate before he went to school, which his parents had put into an advent calendar, and his usual breakfast cereal with oat milk. Area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Elizabeth Gray told the jury they 'may not record' that the allergic reaction was a response to the biscuit, the chocolate, or his breakfast, based on the evidence heard. Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in asthma and allergy, concluded that a 'small amount' of cow's milk most likely caused the fatal anaphylactic reaction because Benedict had a 'life-threatening' milk allergy - while his egg allergy was 'mild', the jury was told. The inquest heard Benedict's adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered twice by a teaching assistant, before CPR and a defibrillator were attempted but he died later that day at Peterborough City Hospital. The jury was told that Benedict's oat milk, given to the school by his parents, was kept in a separate fridge in the staff room along with a carton of lactose-free milk for another child in his class. The class teacher, Jenny Brass, told the inquest she would not have confused Benedict's oat milk with the lactose-free milk, which he could not drink because it contained dairy allergens. The jury concluded that the school's usual procedure of giving Benedict his milk was not followed on the day of his death because the milk was poured into his cup in the staff room rather than in the classroom and given 'directly' to him. Benedict's mother said the school was given a management plan for his allergic reactions, and said vomiting was 'always' the first symptom. The jury heard that Benedict loved school, was 'extremely bright' and was 'thriving' in the three months he spent there before his death. The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in the schoolboy's memory and, along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), launched the school's allergy code last year to set out how schools can keep pupils safe. Speaking outside Peterborough Town Hall after the conclusion of the inquest, Mrs Blythe said: 'There were critical failings from the very beginning. 'The investigation at the time was inadequate as the evidence needed to establish how and why he died was never obtained. Because of that, precious time was lost - and with it, opportunities to understand what happened to our son. 'No more children should die at school because of an allergy. 'We demand change. We call on this government to protect our children with Benedict's Law, making it mandatory to have an allergy policy in every school, staff allergy training including understanding allergies, how to manage them and identify signs of a reaction, and respond quickly in an emergency, and spare adrenaline allergy pens in every school. 'Proper oversight. Real accountability. Immediate action. We owe that to every child.'
Vogue
27-06-2025
- Health
- Vogue
Is Oat or Cow's Milk Less Inflammatory? A Nutritionist Weighs In
Milk can be a hot-button topic. And with so many new alternative forms of milk out there (alternative meaning non-cow's milk), it may make you feel like the OG milk is simply bad for you. At least, that's what I thought. Everybody around me was ordering their coffee with oat milk, so I thought they must know something that I didn't and started ordering it, too. So, what really is the deal? I turned to nutritionist Laura Parada to find out more. Cow's milk: Is it healthy? First things first: Cow's milk isn't actually bad for you, according to Parada. 'Organic cow's milk and organic dairy products are good for you as long as you aren't lactose intolerant,' she says. 'Dairy products provide us with much-needed calcium to keep bones and teeth healthy, as well as minerals like magnesium and phosphorus, as well as vitamins A and B, and protein.' Cow's milk is one of the only complete proteins, which means it contains all nine essential amino acids that we are unable to produce on our own. Although cow's milk is not an essential part of the human diet (other complete proteins include eggs, meat, tofu, and other soy products), it's an easy way to hit a lot of dietary necessities. Now, to discuss some of the concerns and potential misconceptions about cow's milk: It's loaded with antibiotics and hormones, or can cause inflammation. A 2024 study specifically looked at three types of milk—homogenized milk, pasturized milk, and raw milk—and how consumption would affect the gut. The biggest takeaway? 'These new findings suggest that consumption of raw milk can be potentially inflammatory due to its vast microbiota, in addition to the well-known risks of its consumption, and that processed milk can prevent or promote inflammation according to the type of processing to which it was submitted.' Out of the three, it was found that only pasteurized milk decreased the inflammatory reaction. So when it comes to cow's milk, the way it's processed matters. Oat milk: Is it healthy? We all know where cow's milk comes from, but what about oat milk? It starts with just combining oats and milk and then potentially adding in ingredients like enzymes, minerals and vitamins to fortify, oils and sugars to help with texture, and potential flavors.
