With increasing research on the immune system and its role in food interactions, medical concepts regarding how to prevent these allergies have begun to change, shifting from the idea of "avoiding triggers" to "controlled and early exposure."
Updated U.S. dietary guidelines have led to a significant decrease in food allergy rates in children, encouraging parents to introduce their children to foods like peanuts and eggs early rather than postponing them.
A new study by a team from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) indicates that these recommendations have reduced the prevalence of allergies in tens of thousands of babies born after the new guidelines were implemented.
The guidelines focus on food allergies associated with immunoglobulin E (IgE), a type of immune reaction that can occur quickly and may be severe or life-threatening.
Prior to 2015, medical recommendations advised delaying the introduction of foods like peanuts until three years of age due to the risk of developing allergies. However, as scientific evidence accumulated, health authorities changed their position, calling for introducing allergenic foods at a much earlier age to help the immune system adapt to these ingredients rather than reject them.
"Everyone was wondering if these changes were really making a difference, and now we have clear evidence that the effect is already happening," says immunologist Stanislav Gabrzewski.
Researchers analyzed health data from nearly 125,000 children born before and after the guidelines were implemented. The results showed that the rate of peanut allergy associated with immunoglobulin E decreased from 0.79% to 0.45%, while the rate of any food allergy decreased from 1.46% to 0.93%.
This reduction translates into a tangible result: for every 200 children exposed to allergenic foods at an early age, one child avoided developing a potential allergy.
“Our findings show that early childhood nutrition education and awareness can make a real difference, not only for doctors, but also for parents and caregivers,” says Dr. David Hill.
These results are consistent with a previous Australian study showing that introducing peanuts and eggs into the diet at six months of age significantly reduces the risk of allergy development.
The US guidelines were based on a pioneering scientific trial known as LEAP and were expanded in 2021 to include other types of IgE-related allergies.
Although these changes have not yet been adopted globally, the emergence of early positive effects is an encouraging indicator of the success of the new approach.
The researchers point out that larger, longer-term studies are needed to determine the precise relationship between early food exposure and reduced allergies, and to clarify the best timing and dose of food exposure to achieve optimal protection.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
