Early Eggs, Fewer Allergies: What New Research Means for Your Baby

New research out of Australia is reinforcing guidance that could protect babies from a lifetime of egg allergies, and pediatric allergy experts say parents should take note.

The study found that introducing eggs to infants by six months old significantly reduces the chance they'll develop an egg allergy. It's a finding that aligns with what the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended since 2008, though some families are still uncertain about when to start.

Dr. Carla Davis, chair of pediatrics and child health at Howard University and president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, says the science behind early food introduction is no longer in question. "Based on research and evidence, we absolutely know early introduction is the way to go for all infants," she said, adding that the data is especially strong for peanut allergy and increasingly clear for eggs as well.

It wasn't always this way. Back in 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics told parents with high-risk infants to avoid eggs entirely until age two, thinking it might prevent reactions. That guidance reversed completely by 2008, when the AAP updated its recommendation to support introducing eggs around the six-month mark.

Dr. David Hill, an allergist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says the new Australian data adds important weight to that guidance. "We have shown that it is safe and effective, and now we're starting to have actual population data from two different countries, two different methodologies, thousands of children showing that we're having some effect on food allergy rates," he said.

Experts expect similar results would hold in the United States. Hill says his hope is that the findings give hesitant parents a reason to move forward with confidence. "Families have told me that this is hugely meaningful for them. Anything they can do to reduce the risk of a severe, life-threatening, chronic condition is of course going to be welcome news."

Parents with questions about when or how to introduce allergenic foods to their infants should speak with their child's pediatrician.