Early egg and peanut consumption slashes allergy risk but many parents unaware

05 Nov 2021 --- A new US study highlights that introducing eggs to children can prevent them from developing an allergy. Similar findings for peanuts four years ago were adopted into national guidelines, however recent US research reveals only 40% of parents received the necessary recommendation to feed peanuts to their children by a certain age.

The research on eggs carried out by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) found that children who were not introduced to eggs by 12 months were more likely to have an egg allergy at the age of six.

“Egg allergy is the second most common food allergy throughout the world. Current evidence suggests that early introduction of eggs during infancy, followed by consistent and frequent feedings, seems protective against development of egg allergy,” says Dr. Xiaozhong Wen, senior author and principal investigator of the study. 

Introducing eggs and peanuts to young children can prevent them from developing allergies.Ongoing research to reduce egg allergy
Researchers collected data from 2,237 parent surveys, of which 1,379 participants had complete food allergy data until the age of 6. A total of 0.6% reported an egg allergy at one year and 0.8% at six years. 

Children with an allergy at those ages had less frequent egg consumption while they were five, six, seven and ten months old. 

Though Wen notes research is still ongoing in attempting to find the optimal timing of introducing egg to infants and the frequency of the feeding, the findings reflect similar guidelines presented four years ago on peanuts. 

In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) released guidelines to help parents introduce peanut products to their infants to prevent peanut allergy. Similar guidelines were also observed in Australia, which encouraged infant peanut consumption to slash allergy risk.

Guidelines not translating into practice 
According to a study set to be presented at this year’s ACAAI annual scientific meeting, 58% of US parents reported their primary care physician (PCP) discussed early peanut introduction. 

However, only 40% of the parents said they received a recommendation to introduce peanuts by 11 months.

“We now know that the earlier peanut is introduced, as early as when a child begins solid foods, the better the chance that peanut allergy can be prevented,” Dr. Christopher Warren, and primary author of the study, notes. More than half of parents are not told about peanut recommendations. 

The findings of the survey highlighted that PCP’s discuss the idea of introducing peanuts early with parents of infants but are not recommending they do so by 11 months of age. 

A total of 44% of the parents/caregivers reported they introduced peanut by the age of 11 months. 

“Only 13% of all those who responded were aware of the NIAID guidelines. Early peanut introduction should be discussed with parents/caregivers of all infants, including those at higher risk of developing peanut allergy,” notes Dr. Ruchi Gupta, ACAAI member and co-author of the study.

Parents/caregivers of children with eczema had a greater awareness of the guidelines, reaching 18%. Within that group, 69% of parents said their child’s PCP had discussed peanut introduction, according to the study.

Most infants are either moderate or low-risk for developing peanut allergies, according to Gupta, who cautioned against giving whole peanuts to infants as they can be a choking hazard.

The findings of both studies are reflected by previous research undertaken by King’s College London and St George’s, which shows peanut and egg allergies can be prevented with an early introduction to infants’ diets. 

Edited by Andria Kades