Despite several intervention trials involving modifications to the maternal diet , the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation in preventing food allergy remains unclear .
Summary Earlier introduction of allergenic foods is a promising intervention to reduce the risk of some food allergies in high-risk infants .
Purpose of review In the past decade , food allergy has been increasingly recognized as an important public health issue .
The role of maternal and infant diet in the development of food allergy has been a major focus of research throughout this period .
Recently , research in this area has moved from observational studies to intervention trials , and the findings from these trials have started to influence infant feeding guidelines .
In this article , we review recent studies of dietary interventions for preventing food allergy , summarize current knowledge and discuss future research directions .
Prevention of allergic disease during childhood by allergen avoidance: the Isle of Wight prevention study.
BACKGROUND Early life allergen exposure may increase the risk of childhood allergy , but the protective effect of reduction in allergen exposure remains uncertain . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of reduction in food and house dust mite ( HDM ) allergen exposure in infancy in preventing asthma and allergy . METHODS Infants , at higher risk because of family predisposition , were recruited prenatally and r and omized to prophylactic ( n = 58 ) and control ( n = 62 ) groups . Prophylactic group infants were either breast-fed with mother on a low allergen diet or given an extensively hydrolyzed formula . Exposure to HDM was reduced by the use of an acaricide and mattress covers . The control group followed st and ard advice .  Development of allergic diseases and sensitization to common allergens ( atopy ) was assessed blindly at ages 1 , 2 , 4 , and 8 years in all 120 children . RESULTS Repeated measurement analysis , adjusted for all relevant confounding variables , confirmed a preventive effect on asthma : adjusted odds ratio ( OR ) , 0.24 ; 95 % CI , 0.09 - 0.66 ; P = .005 ; atopic dermatitis , OR , 0.23 ; CI , 0.08 - 0.64 ; P = .005 ; rhinitis , OR , 0.42 ; CI , 0.19 - 0.92 ; P = .03 ; and atopy , OR , 0.13 ; CI , 0.05 - 0.32 ; P < .001 . The protective effect was primarily observed in the subgroup of children with persistent disease ( symptoms at all visits ) and in those with evidence of allergic sensitization . CONCLUSION Allergic diseases can be reduced , for at least the first 8 years of life , by combined food and HDM allergen avoidance in infancy . CLINICAL IMPLICATION S Strict food and HDM allergen avoidance should be considered for prevention of allergy in high-risk infants
Despite several intervention trials involving modifications to the maternal diet , the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation in preventing food allergy remains unclear .
Summary Earlier introduction of allergenic foods is a promising intervention to reduce the risk of some food allergies in high-risk infants .
Purpose of review In the past decade , food allergy has been increasingly recognized as an important public health issue .
The role of maternal and infant diet in the development of food allergy has been a major focus of research throughout this period .
Recently , research in this area has moved from observational studies to intervention trials , and the findings from these trials have started to influence infant feeding guidelines .
In this article , we review recent studies of dietary interventions for preventing food allergy , summarize current knowledge and discuss future research directions .