Surprising new results on the prevalence of food allergies in children suggest that introducing highly allergenic foods to babies at a young age may play a role in preventing allergies in children as they get older.
An article by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology recommends introducing highly allergenic foods including peanuts, shellfish and eggs to babies as young as 4 to 6 months of age.
The conclusion is in stark contrast to earlier recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggesting that these foods be introduced at a much later date.
A Journal of Allergy Clinical Immunology article reported that the rate of children with peanut allergies in the United Kingdom was 10 times greater than that of Israeli children.
The 2008 study, which compared 5,000 children in both countries, found that while Israeli babies typically ate Bamba peanut snacks before the age of six months, babies in the United Kingdom had no exposure to peanut products until after their first birthday.
“The body has to be trained in the first year of life. We think there’s a critical window probably around four to six months, when the child first starts to eat solids,” explained Katie Allen, a professor and allergist at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute at Royal Children’s Hospital in Australia.
Exposing babies to certain foods in their first months may help prevent their immune systems from treating them as foreign substances and reacting adversely when they are introduced at a later age, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“There’s been more studies that find that if you introduce them early you may actually prevent food allergy,” said Denver pediatric allergist David Fleisicher.
“We need to get the message out now to pediatricians, primary care physicians and specialists that these allergenic foods can be introduced early.”
Other experts were critical of the findings and suggested that further research is needed.
For the bamba addicts, check out the virtual Bamba Park
Food allergies don’t run in my family, I ate nuts and peanut butter every day of my pregnancy and continued while nursing. I introduced it to much earlier than recommended but am not sure I ever would have if there was any history of reactions anywhere in my family’s history.
Bamba?? isn’t that junk food ??
I ate nuts all through pregnancy. I am from England and B’H am lucky enough to have minimal allergies. I had planned on introducing bamba at 6 months, after speaking to a medical practitioner they said it is fine for me to introduce as neither myself or husband have allergies to nuts,
Maybe if you were given peanut butter earlier you would not have developed the allergy.. i have two kids a 1 and 2 year old and at 8 months when they start solids they start bamba!
To introduce these foods during pregnancy, which will have an impact on the fetus while it is nourished by the mothers diet.
It has been suggested that many early childhood allergies are a result a mother’s malnourishment during pregnancy.
Note: Malnourishment can occur even while someone overeats.
I have spoken to allergists and this study is very accurate. THe proof is in the pudding. Why does North American have much more allergies than Israel. The answer is that there is peanuts everywhere and the immune system can fight it. Do not try this on your own- work with an allergist.
Seriously, how difficult is that rule to understand? A & B coexisting in the same situation doesn’t prove that one causes the other. If that’s the whole basis of this study…
Did they consider the mother’s diet during (and even prior to) pregnancy?
And what she ate while she nursed, if applicable? The answers may be there. Of all of my children, the one who was the youngest to be switched to a bottle was the one to develop the most allergies.
When I was 2 years old, my mother gave me peanut butter for the first time. I stopped breathing and turned blue. It is truly a miracle story of how I survived!
i am also highly allergic to peanuts and soy, since i was a baby, and in those days people lived on peanut butter every day for supper, dont try it, my allergist wont even test my kids for peanuts bec its in the family, says if u think your kid is allergic keep it away.
We LOVE him. He has seen my children in the NJ day program where you go out there for 2 weeks and have extensive testing and in office food challenges. He saved two of my children’s lives. I do think he is being taken out of context here though. I know with our youngest because of family history he did not recommend we give her PNs or any of the top allergens at such a young age.
it amazed me how so many of my friends and their families had crazy allergies . Intrestingly ,most of them were children of complete health freaks, so this study doesn’t surprize me at all!
Where can i find the study?
My 5 month old is allergic to peanuts. When was I supposed to introduce it earlier?
Only in Israel.
Please dont try this without the advice of your ped – I was born with my allergies, and started showing reactions at less than 2 weeks old, and if my allergies were anapylactic the results could have been catastrophic.
“including peanuts, shellfish and eggs ” ummm…I think I’ll skip that middle one….
this is a bit naive.. kids with peanut allergies are allergic before they start eating so how exactly do we lower the allergy if they cant eat it to begin with?
Please speak to your allergist/Dr. before you make decisions on when to give peanuts and other food allergenic food to your kids.
Don’t take just one study and come to conclusions!
There is a lot more to food allergies then just being introduced to it at a young age.
The environment, the way food is processed, vaccinations and GMO foods all play a role food allergies.