Dr Naomi Chellew
Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergy in the world, so it’s not surprising parents often ask what they can do to lower this risk, especially if there has been some food allergies in the family.

There is often some confusion because the guidelines have changed over the years.

Current recommendations advise introducing allergenic foods between 4 – 6 months, once the infant is ready for solids and has already tolerated less allergenic foods.

Research shows that introducing common allergy causing foods before one year of age decreases the risk for infants developing an allergy to that food

That means foods like peanut butter, cooked egg, dairy and wheat products should be introduced during the first year of life.

If you’ve been breastfeeding your baby up till now it’s a good idea to continue while introducing these new foods. Apart from the usual benefits there is some evidence this may also help to reduce the risk of allergies developing.

The good news is since the revised guidelines were published in 2016 there has already been a 16 percent decrease in children with peanut allergy in Australia.

Research on early exposure to allergenic food is very promising. A recent study showed that introducing peanuts (not in the form of a whole peanut) between four – 11 months was associated with a 70% decreased risk of peanut allergy by the time the children were aged between 3 -5.

Introducing cooked egg between 4-6 months was associated with a 40% decreased risk of egg allergy at 12 months.
While Australia still has a high rate of paediatric IgE-mediated food allergies parents can at least reduce the risk by giving their baby common allergy causing foods before they turn one.

Image courtesy of Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

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Question & Answer with Dr Naomi Chellew