Early egg introduction and allergy risk in infants
What it found
In infants, introducing egg at 4 to 6 months was linked to less egg allergy in a review of 5 trials, but early introduction also caused allergic reactions in some babies, including severe ones.
What they found
Studies in people
Less egg allergy
A review of 5 trials with 1915 infants found that introducing egg at 4 to 6 months was linked to a lower risk of egg allergy.
Allergic reactions
Four of the trials reported allergic reactions, sometimes severe, when raw pasteurized egg was given. These ranged from 4.7% of infants with atopic heredity and a small skin prick test to 31% of infants with moderate-severe atopic dermatitis.
Heated egg powder
In the PETIT study, small daily doses of heated egg powder were given to infants with atopic dermatitis along with aggressive skin treatment. No infant dropped out because of reactions to the powder.
Dose and cooking
The amount of egg and how well it is cooked seem to affect the chance of an allergic reaction, even at the first time egg is eaten.
Other findings
Testing before first egg
For infants at very high risk, the authors suggest checking whole egg-specific IgE levels or doing a skin prick test before giving egg for the first time.
What the authors conclude
- They say that for infants at very high risk, such as those with moderate-severe atopic dermatitis, it seems reasonable to follow a similar approach to that proposed for peanuts.
- They recommend that an adequate topical therapy should be given and that whole egg-specific IgE serum antibody levels or skin prick tests for egg should be checked before the first administration.
- They advise that if skin prick test or sIgE are positive, egg must be introduced in a specialized setting with emergency support immediately available and under the supervision of an allergist.
How it was done
The authors wanted to address the lack of recommendations about when to introduce egg to infants at high risk of allergy, especially in countries where egg allergy is more common than peanut allergy.
They looked at 5 intervention trials (STAR, STEP, HEAP, BEAT, PETIT) with 1915 participants that studied early egg introduction, and considered existing recommendations for other allergenic foods like peanut.
What it can’t tell you
- The review looked at a small number of trials with differences between them, so the size of the benefit is uncertain.
- The trials used different types and amounts of egg, so it is not clear which approach is best.
- The findings may not apply to all infants, especially those in the general population without allergy risk.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE: Not applicable. CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION: Not applicable. COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
- Authors work at
- San Paolo Hospital, Italy; University of Milan, Italy; S. Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Egg introduction during complementary feeding according to allergic risk: not just for peanuts!
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Verduci E, Bianchi A, Brambilla M, Calvani M (2018). Egg introduction during complementary feeding according to allergic risk: not just for peanuts!. Italian journal of pediatrics. doi:10.1186/s13052-018-0521-xFree full textPubMed 29980243DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error