More frequent egg consumption in infancy linked with less egg allergy in childhood

Children who ate eggs more frequently as infants were less likely to have egg allergies later in childhood, according to a study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

The researchers found that early introduction with consistent, frequent feedings can prevent the development of egg allergies according to current evidence, although clarification is needed for the optimal timing of this introduction as well as for the frequency of feedings.

“We examined infant feeding and food allergy data from birth to 6 years, collected by 2,237 surveys in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II conducted by the CDC and FDA,” study author Giulia Martone, MD, an allergy and immunology fellow at University of Buffalo, said in a press release. “We found that children who hadn’t had egg introduced by 12 months were more likely to have egg allergy at 6 years.”

The data included 2,237 participants, 1,379 of whom submitted complete food allergy data through 6 years.

The researchers found that 14 children (0.6%) had an egg allergy by age 1 year, and 11 (0.8%) had an egg allergy by age 6 years. The children who weren’t introduced to egg by age 1 year were more likely to have an egg allergy by age 6 years (9 of 472 children, 0.02% vs. 2 of 682 children, 0%, P < .001).

Meanwhile, the children who had an egg allergy at age 1 year and age 6 years consumed eggs less frequently at ages 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 months, according to the researchers. Specifically, the children with egg allergy at age 1 year ate less egg at age 10 months than those who did not have an egg allergy (0.36 eggs/week vs. 0.93 eggs/week, P = .021).

The researchers also found that children who had an egg allergy at age 6 years ate less egg at 10 months than those who did not have an egg allergy (0.09 eggs/week vs. 0.93 eggs/week, P < .001).

“Egg allergy is the second-most common food allergy throughout the world,” study author Xiaozhong Wen, MD, PhD, associate professor in the department of pediatrics at University of Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said in the release.

“Current evidence suggests that early introduction of egg during infancy, followed by consistent and frequent feedings, seems protective against development of egg allergy. We are still investigating optimal timing of infant egg introduction and frequency of feeding.”

Reference:

• Increased frequency of eating eggs in infancy associated with decreased egg allergy later on. https://annualmeeting.acaai.org/2021/egg-allergy.cfm. Published Nov. 5, 2021. Accessed Nov. 5, 2021.