A new study published in the journal Pediatrics shows a significant and measurable drop in childhood peanut allergies following the publication of new early introduction guidelines.
The study, published Monday, looked at health record data for about 40,000 children and found that peanut allergies dropped by 43% for those whose households followed new feeding recommendation guidelines last updated in 2017.
The findings were based on doctors' records and not allergy testing, the study noted.
"We detected decreased rates of peanut or any IgE-FA (Immunoglobulin food allergy) in the period following the publication of early introduction guidelines and addendum guidelines," the study stated. "Our results are supportive of the intended effect of these landmark public health recommendations."
Food allergies affect 8% of children in the U.S., according to a 2018 article published in Pediatrics, and just over 2% of those have peanut allergies.
The American Academy of Pediatrics first recommended introducing commonly allergenic foods to some infants between 4 to 6 months of age in 2015. That guidance was later updated in 2017 to include more children, recommending early introduction for all infants.
The guidelines, provided to doctors, give families instructions for introducing peanuts to infants in three groups, recommending testing those with severe eczema for peanut allergies and allowing infants without any eczema or food allergy to be introduced to peanut products based on their family's cultural practices and preferences.
According to the new study, there was no reduction in rates of egg allergies as a result of the new published guidance, and egg allergies are now the most common food allergy in children.
Researchers found that eczema rates increased over the same period.
