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Allergens

Reversing the Trend: New Study Finds Sharply Reduced Food Allergies in Children Following Guidelines Recommending Early Introduction of Common Allergens

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A landmark study has found that food allergies in children under 3 decreased sharply in the years after new guidelines encouraged parents to introduce infants to common allergens, such as peanuts and eggs. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed data from 125,000 children across nearly 50 pediatric practices and found that food allergy rates fell from 1.46 percent between 2012 and 2015 to 0.93 percent between 2017 and 2020, a 36 percent reduction. The study also found that eggs overtook peanuts as the No. 1 food allergen in young children.

Key Takeaways:

  • Food allergy rates in children under 3 dropped from 1.46 percent between 2012 and 2015 to 0.93 percent between 2017 and 2020, a 36 percent reduction.
  • The study found that a 43 percent drop in peanut allergies contributed to the decline in food allergies.
  • Eggs overtook peanuts as the No. 1 food allergen in young children.
  • Early introduction of common food allergens, such as peanuts and eggs, was recommended by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2017 and subsequent national guidelines.
  • The study followed 125,000 children across nearly 50 pediatric practices, with allergies determined by diagnosis codes and Epi-Pen prescriptions in infants' electronic health records.
  • The study did not examine what infants ate, so it does not show that the guidelines caused the decline in food allergies.
  • Experts say more research is needed to assess the impact of early-introduction guidelines on food allergy rates.
  • A 2021 survey found that only about 17 percent of caregivers reported giving their infants peanuts before they were 7 months old, and a recent clinical trial suggested that pediatricians recommended early peanut introduction to only 10 percent of high-risk infants and 35 percent of low-risk infants.

Statistics:

  • 36 percent reduction in food allergy rates in children under 3 between 2017 and 2020 compared to 2012 and 2015.
  • 43 percent drop in peanut allergies in children under 3.
  • 0.93 percent food allergy rate in children under 3 between 2017 and 2020.
  • 1.46 percent food allergy rate in children under 3 between 2012 and 2015.
  • 57,000 fewer children with food allergies if the rate of allergy reduction in this study holds up (estimated by Dr. Hill).
  • 17 percent of caregivers reported giving their infants peanuts before they were 7 months old (2021 survey).
  • 10 percent of high-risk infants received early peanut introduction recommendations (2021 survey).
  • 35 percent of low-risk infants received early peanut introduction recommendations (2021 survey).

Sources:

  • Pediatrics journal study (published Monday)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases guidelines (2017)
  • University of Utah Health (Jeanna Ryan)
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Dr. David Hill)
  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center (Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez)
  • Pediatric practice electronic health records (anonymized)
  • 2021 survey (cited in the original text)

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