Food Allergy Prevention Begins at Birth

Nursing mothers can help prevent or delay food allergic reactions in high-risk infants by modifying their diet, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Approximately 6% of children develop a food allergy before age 2, and infants with a family history of allergy may be 2 or 3 times more likely to develop a food allergy.

?Studies suggest that mothers from families with a history of allergies should refrain from eating peanuts through the duration of breast-feeding to avoid introducing peanut proteins to their offspring,? says allergist-immunologist John M. James, MD, of Fort Collins, CO. Nursing mothers should also avoid eating eggs and drinking cows? milk.

To learn more, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network has developed a brochure titled ?Preventing or Delaying the Onset of Food Allergies in Infants.? It can be ordered by calling 800-929-4040.