Nuts, eggs may help beat infant allergies

Babies should have egg and peanuts in their diet to help prevent food allergies regardless of whether they are at risk, new research recommends.

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) published the guidelines in their findings in the Medical Journal of Australia last week.

It recommends introducing solid foods to children at around six months and peanut and egg after four months. The guidelines also no longer recommends hydrolysed formula, where milk proteins have been broken down, for the prevention of allergic diseases.

Up to 10 per cent of Kiwi infants have food allergies, with milk, eggs and peanuts the main culprits.

The recommendations were largely formed based on results from a study of 640 children between 4 and 11 months, who were suffering with either or both severe eczema and egg allergies.

Some were either then fed or not fed foods containing peanuts until age 5. The prevalence of peanut allergies was 13.7 per cent in the avoidance group and 1.9 per cent in the consumption group.

‘‘Based on these findings, ASCIA guidelines note that if infants already have an egg allergy or severe eczema, they are at increased risk of peanut allergy,’’ the report says.

The authors, led by ASCIA paediatric committee chairwoman Dr Preeti Joshi, said food allergies had been increasing in frequency worldwide.

"It is hoped that current ASCIA guidelines will assist in reversing the upward trajectory of early onset allergy disease in Australia, and that further research will continue,’’ the report says.

According to the Australian study, 8.9 per cent of Australian infants are allergic to egg and 3 per cent are allergic to peanuts. Egg, cow’s milk, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish and shellfish are the most common food allergens in Australia.

University of Otago professor Julian Crane, who specialises in asthma, respiratory disease and allergies, said he had not yet read the report, but supported exposing children to common food allergens.

‘‘The theory behind it is that the infant would be exposed to unbelievably small amounts of allergens and that’s thought to be enough to set the immune system up,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s the exact same process to desensitisation so if someone is sensitive to allergens you can desensitise them by giving them gradually increasing doses until their immune system becomes tolerant.’’

Most children outgrow food allergies, but allergies to peanuts, tree-nuts, fish and shellfish tend to persist for life.

An Allergy NZ report outlined global rates of food allergies have risen significantly in the last decade, and some, such as to peanuts, have risen dramatically. It remained unknown why they were increasing.