Researchers found egg allergy rates among Australian infants declined after feeding guidelines changed to recommend earlier egg introduction.
The study compared more than 7,200 one-year-old children from two large population-based cohorts.
The largest decline was seen among babies with early eczema, a known risk factor for food allergies.
Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in young children, and for years, parents were often advised to delay introducing potentially allergenic foods.
But that guidance changed in Australia in 2016, when health experts began recommending that foods such as eggs be introduced during a child’s first year of life.
Now, new research published in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that the change may be having a measurable effect. Researchers from the University of Queensland and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found that rates of egg allergy among Australian infants declined after the updated recommendations were introduced.
The findings provide what researchers describe as population-level evidence that earlier egg introduction may help reduce the likelihood of egg allergy developing in childhood.
“Australia has one of the highest rates of food allergy in the world with one in 10 infants allergic to one or more foods,’’ researcher Dr. Jennifer Koplin said in a news release.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a reduction in egg allergy after the introduction of new infant feeding guidelines at a population level. Most parents followed the guidelines, and these results provide reassurance that this advice will help reduce the chance of their child developing an egg allergy.’’
How the researchers studied the trend
To examine whether egg allergy rates changed after the guideline update, researchers analyzed data from two large Australian population-based studies involving a total of 7,209 one-year-old infants.
One group included 5,276 children assessed between 2007 and 2011, before the guideline change. The second included 1,933 children assessed between 2018 and 2019, after the new recommendations had been implemented.
The researchers compared allergy rates between the two groups and accounted for known factors that can influence allergy risk. They also examined when infants were first introduced to eggs. The median age of introduction decreased from 8 months in the earlier group to 6 months in the later group, reflecting the shift in feeding practices following the guideline update.
In addition, the team conducted subgroup analyses, including a closer look at infants with early eczema, which is associated with a higher risk of food allergies.
What the study found
After adjusting for known allergy risk factors, researchers found that egg allergy prevalence fell from 9.2% in the earlier cohort to 7.6% in the later cohort. That represents a relative decline of about 17%.
The reduction was even more pronounced among infants with early eczema. In that group, egg allergy rates dropped from 34.6% to 21.9%.
While egg allergy remains relatively common and some children still develop allergies despite following current recommendations, researchers said the findings offer reassurance that the updated feeding guidelines are associated with a meaningful reduction in egg allergy rates at the population level.
“Some babies can still develop food allergy despite following the guidelines, and further research is underway and needed, to find other prevention strategies,” Dr. Koplin said. “But we hope these findings provide reassurance to parents to continue following the current recommendations.’’