Earlier introduction of egg and other allergens in infants
What it found
Giving families updated feeding advice led to earlier introduction of egg, peanut, and cow's milk.
Allergies to these foods at 1 year were much less common in that group.
What they found
Studies in people
Earlier food introduction
Families who received the updated guidelines introduced peanut, egg, and cow's milk to their babies earlier than families who did not get the advice.
Fewer combined food allergies
At 1 year of age, 4.1% of babies in the advised group had an allergy to peanut, egg, or cow's milk. In the group without advice, 12.6% had one of these allergies.
Egg allergy rates
Egg allergy was found in 2.8% of babies whose families got the feeding guidelines. It was found in 11.7% of babies whose families did not.
Peanut and milk allergies
Peanut allergy affected 1.1% of the advised group and 5.8% of the other group. Cow's milk allergy affected 0.5% versus 2.4%.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that giving families updated allergy prevention guidelines directly helped introduce allergenic foods earlier.
- The authors say this approach lowered the number of babies developing allergies to peanut, egg, and cow's milk.
How it was done
Earlier research showed that introducing eggs and peanuts sooner during infancy lowered allergy risk. Because of this, infant feeding advice shifted from avoiding common allergens to including them early.
Researchers compared two groups of babies who each had a close relative with allergies. The first group of 506 infants, born between 2006 and 2014, received no special feeding advice. The second group of 566 infants, born between 2016 and 2022, had their families given updated feeding guidelines when the babies were 6 months old.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study followed groups over time rather than randomly assigning advice, so it can show a link but not prove cause and effect.
- All the babies had a close family member with allergies, so the results may not apply to babies without that family history.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- the University of Western Australia, Australia; Edith Cowan University, Australia; Murdoch University, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Infant Diet Recommendations Reduce IgE-Mediated Egg, Peanut, and Cow's Milk Allergies
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Walker SVM, D'Vaz N, Pretorius RA, et al (2025). Infant Diet Recommendations Reduce IgE-Mediated Egg, Peanut, and Cow's Milk Allergies. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2025.06.012PubMed 40553938DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error