Giving infants egg, peanut and milk earlier linked to fewer allergies
What it found
In two groups of infants with a family history of allergic disease, those whose families got updated feeding advice had less IgE-mediated egg, peanut and cow's milk allergy at 1 year of age.
This was in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Earlier introduction
Peanut, egg and cow's milk were introduced earlier in cohort 2 than in cohort 1.
Combined allergy prevalence
The combined prevalence of IgE-mediated peanut, egg and/or cow's milk allergy was 4.1% in cohort 2 compared with 12.6% in cohort 1.
Peanut allergy
Peanut allergy prevalence was 1.1% in cohort 2 versus 5.8% in cohort 1.
Egg allergy
Egg allergy prevalence was 2.8% in cohort 2 versus 11.7% in cohort 1.
Cow's milk allergy
Cow's milk allergy prevalence was 0.5% in cohort 2 versus 2.4% in cohort 1.
What the authors conclude
“Direct provision of updated food allergy prevention guidelines to families facilitated earlier introduction and reduced the prevalence of IgE-mediated peanut, egg, and cow's milk allergies.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that directly providing updated food allergy prevention guidelines to families helped introduce these foods earlier.
- They report that this reduced the prevalence of IgE-mediated peanut, egg and cow's milk allergies.
How it was done
Earlier trials found that introducing eggs and peanuts during infancy reduced egg and peanut allergy risk. Infant feeding advice has therefore shifted from avoiding common food allergens to including them.
They compared two groups of infants, all with a first-degree relative with a history of allergic disease. Cohort 1 had 506 infants born 2006-2014 and received no infant feeding advice. Cohort 2 had 566 infants born 2016-2022, and at 6 months of age all families were given updated infant feeding and allergy prevention guidelines. At 1 year of age, the infants were checked for food allergen sensitization and IgE-mediated food allergy.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This compares two groups of infants born in different periods, so other changes over time could have played a part.
- It cannot prove that the feeding advice alone caused the difference in allergy rates.
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 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error