THE SCIENCE BEHIND INTRODUCING & MAINTAINING ALLERGENIC FOODS IN BABY'S DIET What is a Food Allergy? A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to proteins in a certain food; this is referred to as an allergic reaction. 6.5% of children have a food allergy.1 There are 8 types of food that cause ~90% of food allergies.2
milk
eggs
peanuts
soy
shellfish
fish
wheat
tree nuts
What Current Guidelines Tell Us About Introducing Allergenic Foods Current guidelines suggest introducing allergenic foods early and often, and there is no need to delay. Prior to 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended avoidance of highly allergenic foods for the first 3 years of life, but in 2017 the AAP recognized a new set of guidelines for allergies which includes early introduction of peanuts.3 Speaking to your pediatrician and taking advantage of expert resources can help you introduce allergens in an appropriate way. Below are two large allergen introduction studies: LEAP and EAT.
Amount of peanut or allergen protein consumed per week Conclusion
LEAP Study4
EAT Study5
6g peanut protein
2g of allergen protein
Early introduction of peanuts significantly decreased the incidence of development of peanut allergy among high risk children (defined as children with severe eczema and/or those with allergic reactions caused by other allergens).
Introducing sufficient amounts of certain allergenic foods, including peanuts and eggs, from 3 months* may be associated with a reduced risk of food allergy. *Current guidelines do not support introduction earlier than 4 months of age.
AAP Clinical Report: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Clinical-Report-Highlights-Early-Introduction-ofPeanut-Based-Foods-to-Prevent-Allergies.aspx CDC US National Health Interview Survey: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/allergies.htm 3 Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States, https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(16)31164-4/fulltext 4 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850 5 Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852987/ 1
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