Allergy. it is necessary to diversify the diet of infants very early

The first years of a child’s life are full of discoveries: first steps, first words, and of course, first tastes. This culinary study plays an essential role in health because it affects the occurrence of food allergies later in life.

In France in particular, it is estimated that 6% to 8% of children develop allergies in the first five years of life, a prevalence that has increased in recent years. Faced with concern from parents and doctors, researchers are trying to understand the origins of this increase in order to implement preventive strategies. A French study published in the journal allergy emphasizes the role of diversifying children’s early diets.

New measures

This work, carried out by INRAe researchers in collaboration with the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (Cress), INED and the University Hospital of Nancy, assessed the impact of delaying food diversification on the development of allergies. Until 2005, it was recommended to avoid eggs until age 2 and delay introduction of peanuts or seafood until age 3. But, in response to a series of studies suggesting a link between late food diversification and the risk of food allergies, Public Health France published new recommendations in 2021: therefore, parents were encouraged to introduce all food groups from 4 to 6 months, including allergenic foods. such as animal (egg, fish, milk) and vegetable (peanut, wheat, etc.) proteins. However, the impact of these new measures has not been evaluated. That’s what this new French study did.

To confirm these recommendations, scientists analyzed the eating habits of more than 6,600 2-month-old infants who had not previously shown any allergic symptoms. “ We tracked how many allergens in eggs, fish, dairy, and wheat each child consumed before age 10. month We counted those who in 5 had developed an allergy years ago, which allowed us to estimate the risk of food allergy according to the age of introduction of allergenic foods. “, explains Blandine de Lauzon-Guillen, director of the Sorbonne’s Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Research and co-author of the study. For the study, researchers asked parents on questionnaires to list the foods their child consumed each month before the child was 10 months old.

Result: only 62% of children started food diversification at 4 to 6 months. Children who were not exposed to at least two groups of allergens before age 10 months had twice the risk of developing food allergies by age 5, which affected one in ten children. “ This result is problematic because it suggests that delaying the importation of certain food groups is potentially harmful. “, comments Jocelyn Just, professor emeritus and pulmonologist-allergist at the American Hospital in Paris.

“ Parents at the forefront »

Once established, food allergies can manifest in different ways from one child to another, from digestive upsets to eczema flare-ups. However, some more serious reactions, such as a severe asthma attack or angioedema, can be life-threatening if left untreated. In all cases, the child’s quality of life remains severely affected. If the allergy is mild, it can be reversed through desensitization, which consists of reintroducing increasing doses of the allergen in question into the diet. ” But that usually only applies to animal proteinswarns P^r: Simply. As for peanuts or tree nuts, i.e. allergens of plant origin, the allergy is generally persistent. The allergist also points out that even with animal proteins, the later reintroduction is less likely to cure the allergy.

Even if there is some genetic predisposition to allergies, this study shows that food diversification is a factor that can be acted upon. ” We hope these results will encourage parents to diversify their child’s diet early, as they are on the front line to prevent this allergic risk. But for this it is important to inform them better about these recommendations, which are currently very little known. “, – emphasizes Blandin de Lauzon-Guillen.