Egg and peanut allergies in infants reduced by early exposure

The Journal Of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has published the results of a study indicating that the early introduction to infants of egg (from four to six months) and peanuts (from four to 11 months) is linked to lower rates of egg and peanut allergy.

The authors of Timing of Allergenic Food Introduction to the Infant Diet and Risk of Allergic or Autoimmune Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta analysis found moderate certainty-evidence from various clinical trials to support their conclusions.  They also found high-certainty evidence that timing of gluten introduction was not associated with coeliac disease risk. 

You can read a good summary of the evidence from this study in an article published last week in The Conversation by Merryn Netting and Katie Allen.

Despo Ierodiakonou et al. JAMA. 2016;316(11):1181-1192. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.12623. (NSW Health Employees can access the full text via CIAP or contact your librarian).