Early Introduction of Egg into Diet Could Help Avoid Food Allergy

A study out of Melbourne has said that parents would do well to introduce eggs into their kids' diets in order to avoid allergies later on. University of Melbourne PhD scholar Jennifer Koplin and colleagues found that kids who were kept away from eggs in their first year were five times more likely to develop an egg allergy later on in life.

The study involved 2,500 infants. Researchers assessed the timing of their introduction to eggs and found that just 5.6 percent of infants introduced to eggs by their sixth month developed an egg allergy as compared with 27.5% of infants who were introduced to eggs after their first birthday.

"Until recently, Australian and international guidelines recommended that infants with a family history of allergy delay introducing allergenic foods such as egg, peanut and nuts until up to two to three years of age," Koplin said. "It seems that early introduction of egg may protect against egg allergy, while delaying its introduction may put the child at increased risk of developing an allergy."

The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology


Source-Medindia