Allergy prevention guidelines given directly to families reduce food allergies

Published online June 17, 2025

Based on the findings of trials investigating the introduction of common food allergens in infant diets, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy infant feeding and allergy prevention guidelines were updated in 2016. These updated guidelines recommend that all infants be given common allergenic foods, including egg and peanut in the first year of life, which was a major change from previous recommendations. 

In a recent study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Walker et al. described how their research group has been collecting data on infant feeding practices and food allergy outcomes over the past 2 decades in families with a history of allergies. Data were available from an earlier cohort of infants born between 2006 and 2014, before the infant feeding and allergy prevention guidelines were updated in 2016. There were also data from a later cohort of infants born between 2016 and 2022, where all families were provided with the 2016 updated Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy infant feeding and allergy prevention guidelines when the infants were 6 months of age.

The study found that provision of food allergy prevention guidelines to families facilitated timely introduction of egg at 6 months of age compared to previous introduction at around 10 months of age in 2006-2014 born infants. Egg allergy at 1 year of age reduced from 11.7% (infants born 2006-2014) to 2.8% (infants born 2016-2022). In the infants born from 2006-2014, only 27% had eaten peanut containing foods in their first year of life, commencing at around 10-months of age, and by 1-year of age 5.8% had a peanut allergy. In infants born from 2016-2022, 94% had eaten peanut containing foods in their first year of life, commencing at around 6.5-months of age, and by 1-year of age only 1.1% had a peanut allergy.  Hence, direct provision of food allergy prevention guidelines to families at 6 months of age facilitated timely introduction of common food allergens in infant diets and reduced food allergies.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice is an official journal of the AAAAI, focusing on practical information for the practicing clinician.

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