Reducing the Risk of Food Allergy

If you have a youngster or grandchild in elementary school, you may have noticed a change in protocols. Long ago, kids with birthdays used to bring cupcakes to school for the class. Nowadays, they bring craft projects or other non-food treats. Schools are working hard to protect children from allergic reactions, especially peanut allergy. Pediatricians and allergists are now reporting success in reducing this condition.

How Common Is Peanut Allergy?

The US saw a dramatic increase in food allergies, especially peanut allergy, starting in the late 20th century (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, July 2015). In reaction, pediatricians recommended that parents protect their vulnerable newborns from exposure to peanuts, fearing this could trigger an allergic response. Consequently, parents often became cautious about feeding their infants peanut butter.

Should Babies Be Protected from Peanuts?

However, life-threatening allergic reactions became even more common. Then, a study published a decade ago in The New England Journal of Medicine suggested that exposing babies to small amounts of peanut protein during the first year of life might actually reduce the likelihood of peanut allergy (New England Journal of Medicine, online, Feb. 23, 2015).

In this British study more than 500 babies between four and eleven months old had egg allergy or severe eczema. As a result, they were considered to be at risk for peanut allergy.

These youngsters were tested for peanut allergy, and if they did not react they were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Parents of babies in one group were admonished to avoid all peanut products. The other group of parents was told to feed their infants at least six grams of peanut protein a week.

The Results of Feeding Babies Peanut Protein

Researchers tested the children again at age five. To everyone’s surprise, less than 2 percent of the kids who had been eating peanuts had developed an allergy. In the peanut-avoiding group, however, more than 13 percent of the youngsters were allergic.

The investigators encouraged parents to have their babies tested for peanut allergy. If the test came back negative, they suggested that the child could eat peanut-containing food regularly. They hoped this might even keep some youngsters from developing peanut allergies.

New Data Show a Dramatic Decline in Peanut Allergy

After the publication of that landmark study, pediatricians changed their guidelines. Instead of counseling avoidance, they started recommending that babies between four and six months be given small amounts of peanut butter or other appropriate peanut foods.

This strategy seems to be working. A new analysis of medical records found that an infant’s risk of developing peanut allergy dropped by 35 percent from 2014 before the guidelines to post-guidelines (2017-2019)(Pediatrics, Oct. 20, 2025). Currently, about 0.45 percent of all children under 3 develop peanut allergies and 0.93 percent develop any food allergy. That is down from 1.46 percent pre-guideline change. That may not sound like much, but it is statistically significant and represents a 43 percent reduction in relative risk.

Pediatricians are still cautious about advising parents on feeding peanut butter to babies who seem likely to develop allergies. That would include those like the infants in the British study who had eczema or egg allergy. Being able to avoid this type of potentially life-threatening reaction should make life less stressful for young children and their families.

Do Peanut Proteins Show Up in Breast Milk?

We got this excellent question from a curious reader.

Q. If a baby is breastfed and the mother eats peanut butter, are the proteins in the peanut butter present in the breast milk?

A. Yes, peanut proteins do appear in breast milk. A Canadian study found that breastfeeding mothers who ate peanuts or peanut butter and also gave their babies peanut-containing foods by 12 months were least likely to have them develop peanut allergies (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Feb. 2018).  Another study found that when breastfeeding mothers consumed moderate amounts of peanuts, their infants were less likely to become allergic to peanuts (Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Aug. 2023).

Early Introduction of Egg Can Reduce Risk of Allergy

As you’ve just seen, pediatricians have been shifting their advice on avoiding food allergies in children. Where they once counseled parents to withhold potential allergens during infancy, they are now suggesting earlier introduction. This has played out in the US with peanut allergies decreasing once parents started giving babies small amounts of peanut products.

Now a large study from Australia published in JAMA Pediatrics shows a similar process with respect to eggs (JAMA Pediatrics, June 8, 2026). Eggs are a common allergen. Australian pediatricians have begun recommending introducing egg into babies’ diets by the time they are six months old.

Between 2007 and 2011, approximately one fourth of Australian infants had tasted egg by six months. By 2018-2019, the proportion of babies eating some egg by that age had risen to 58%. At the same time, there was a decline in egg allergies among babies with eczema. They are most susceptible to food allergies. The rate of egg allergy went from 34.6% to 21.9%. In the broader population, egg allergy prevalence dropped from 9.2% to 7.6%. The new Australian guidelines appear to have made a difference there. The US CDC now suggests introducing potential allergens, such as eggs or peanuts, at the same time as other foods, around six months of age.

Real Food for Babies Reduces Allergies

More than a decade ago, we wrote about research encouraging parents to give their babies real food rather than “baby food.” Here is what we found:

Allergies to food, including peanuts but but not limited to them, are an increasing problem among young children. Pediatricians have been concerned that introducing potentially allergenic foods too early might predispose babies to develop allergies later. Up until now, however, there have been few studies to show whether such caution is justified.

Research from the UK suggests that babies who are exposed to a wide range of fresh foods including plenty of fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop food allergies in childhood (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, feb. 2014). Those whose parents stuck with commercially prepared or packaged baby foods were at higher risk. The researchers encourage parents to feed their babies home-made meals and avoid highly processed foods to reduce the risk of allergies later in life. This practice will also set a child’s taste and expectations for healthy eating throughout life.

Learn More

We have discussed food allergies in a few of our podcasts. You might want to listen to Show 1229: The End of Food Allergies. There is also Show 1329: Dealing with Dangerous Allergies.