Australian guidelines recommending egg be introduced into a child’s diet in the first year of life has seen the number of children with egg allergy drop by 17 per cent, researchers have found.<\/p>\n
Research led by The University of Queensland and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute examined 7,200 children in 2 Australian population-based studies, to assess if egg allergy rates had declined since the introduction of 2016 guidelines.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Jennifer Koplin of UQ’s Child Health Research Centre said egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in young children.<\/p>\n
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Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergy in the world with one in 10 infants allergic to one or more foods.<\/p>\n
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To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a reduction in egg allergy after the introduction of new infant feeding guidelines at a population level.<\/p>\n
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Most parents followed the guidelines, and these results provide reassurance that this advice will help reduce the chance of their child developing an egg allergy.”<\/p>\n
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Jennifer Koplin, Associate Professor, UQ’s Child Health Research Centre\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Associate Professor Rachel Peters of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute said the reduction in egg allergy was even more pronounced in babies with eczema, which is a known risk factor for food allergies.<\/p>\n
Of these children, egg allergy rates were reduced from 35 per cent to 22 per cent.<\/p>\n
“The introduction of the 2016 guidelines was a major change from most advice given in the 1990s and early 2000s which recommended parents delay giving eggs and other allergenic foods until 1-3 years of age if there was a strong family history of allergy,” Dr Peters said.<\/p>\n
“Current advice from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, based on the latest available evidence, is to introduce well-cooked egg and smooth peanut butter soon after a baby starts eating solid foods, usually around 6 months of age.”<\/p>\n
Other common allergy-causing foods such as cow milk, fish, sesame, wheat and tree nuts are also recommended to be included in the diet before one year of age.<\/p>\n
Dr Koplin said more research into food allergies was needed.<\/p>\n
“Although we are beginning to see a reduction in egg allergy, it still remains common,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Some babies can still develop food allergy despite following the guidelines, and further research is underway and needed, to find other prevention strategies.<\/p>\n
“But we hope these findings provide reassurance to parents to continue following the current recommendations.”<\/p>\n
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Journal reference:<\/p>\n