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 .
Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study: Feasibility of an early allergenic food introduction regimen
Background The influence of early exposure to allergenic foods on the subsequent development of food allergy remains uncertain . Objective We sought to determine the feasibility of the early introduction of multiple allergenic foods to exclusively breast-fed infants from 3 months of age and the effect on breastfeeding performance . Methods We performed a r and omized controlled trial . The early introduction group ( EIG ) continued breastfeeding with sequential introduction of 6 allergenic foods : cow 's milk , peanut , hard-boiled hen 's egg , sesame , whitefish ( cod ) , and wheat ; the st and ard introduction group followed the UK infant feeding recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for around 6 months with no introduction of allergenic foods before 6 months of age . Results One thous and three hundred three infants were enrolled . By 5 months of age , the median frequency of consumption of all 6 foods was 2 to 3 times per week for every food in the EIG and no consumption for every food in the st and ard introduction group ( P < .001 for every comparison ) . By 6 months of age , non introduction of the allergenic foods in the EIG was less than 5 % for each of the 6 foods . Achievement of the stringent per- protocol consumption target for the EIG proved more difficult ( 42 % of evaluable EIG participants ) . Breastfeeding rates in both groups significantly exceeded UK government data for equivalent mothers ( P < .001 at 6 and at 9 months of age ) . Conclusion Early introduction , before 6 months of age , of at least some amount of multiple allergenic foods appears achievable and did not affect breastfeeding . This has important implication s for the evaluation of food allergy prevention strategies
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 .