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 .
Early regular egg exposure in infants with eczema: A randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Observational studies suggest that early regular ingestion of allergenic foods might reduce the risk of food allergy . OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether early regular oral egg exposure will reduce subsequent IgE-mediated egg allergy in infants with moderate-to-severe eczema . METHODS In a double-blind , r and omized controlled trial infants were allocated to 1 teaspoon of pasteurized raw whole egg powder ( n = 49 ) or rice powder ( n = 37 ) daily from 4 to 8 months of age . Cooked egg was introduced to both groups after an observed feed at 8 months . The primary outcome was IgE-mediated egg allergy at 12 months , as defined based on the results of an observed pasteurized raw egg challenge and skin prick tests . RESULTS A high proportion ( 31 % [ 15/49 ] ) of infants r and omized to receive egg had an allergic reaction to the egg powder and did not continue powder ingestion . At 4 months of age , before any known egg ingestion , 36 % ( 24/67 ) of infants already had egg-specific IgE levels of greater than 0.35 kilounits of antibody (kUA)/L. At 12 months , a lower ( but not significant ) proportion of infants in the egg group ( 33 % ) were given a diagnosis of IgE-mediated egg allergy compared with the control group ( 51 % ; relative risk , 0.65 ; 95 % CI , 0.38 - 1.11 ; P = .11 ) . Egg-specific IgG4 levels were significantly ( P < .001 ) greater in the egg group at both 8 and 12 months . CONCLUSION Induction of immune tolerance pathways and reduction in egg allergy incidence can be achieved by early regular oral egg exposure in infants with eczema . Caution needs to be taken when these high-risk infants are first exposed to egg because many have sensitization already by 4 months of age
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 .