Introducing certain foods earlier can help: study
You may have caused your kid’s food allergy if you delayed introducing certain snacks. Giving your 4-month-old eggs or peanuts could lower the child’s risk of becoming allergic to them, according to a new report.
Despite older guidelines that delayed letting little ones sample these common allergens until they were a year old for eggs, and 2 years old for peanuts, a systematic review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that many infants who try these foods sooner can stomach them better.
Researchers from Imperial College London analyzed 146 trials and studies, and only 24 in 1,000 kids who ate eggs at 4 to 6 months developed an egg allergy. And only 18 in 1,000 of those who tried peanuts between 4 and 11 months old became allergic to the legumes.
The study also found that there was low-certainty evidence that introducing fish before 6 to 12 months was associated with reduced allergic reactions to seafood. And parents of gluten-free kids take note — the timing of gluten introduction was not associated with celiac disease risk.
“This study, as well as another big study that was in the New England Journal of Medicine, is more evidence shedding light on the fact that early introduction in the right children can prevent allergies,” says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist at NYU Langone Medical Center.
She’s seen increasing numbers of kids developing food allergies even though they have no family history of such sensitivity, which some experts are blaming on the hygiene hypothesis.
“We’re too clean,” says Parikh. “In first world countries, especially cities like New York and urban centers, children are not exposed enough to the good bacteria and good soil — and now we’re eating more processed foods with more pesticides — so we’re seeing higher rates of allergies, food allergies and asthma.”
Exposing kids to potential allergens sooner activates their immune systems to respond to them, which is why Amish children inhaling farm dust rarely get asthma.
But don’t go loading up on eggs and peanut butter just yet. The authors cautioned that more research needs to be done before they can issue updated blanket guidelines for all babies.
“You do have to take [this study] with a grain of salt, because with some high-risk children this can be dangerous,” warns Parikh.
So if someone in your family is allergic to eggs, peanuts or shellfish, or your baby has eczema or another allergy, consult your allergist or pediatrician before introducing these foods.