Solid food and allergies

Pediatrics for Parents, June, 2008 by Richard J. Sagall

Doctors usually tell parents of a newborn not to introduce solid foods until the baby is at least four to six months old, ostensibly to lessen the chances that the infant will develop atopic diseases--asthma, allergic rhinitis (runny nose), eczema, and food and inhalant sensitization--later on in life.

In a recent study that was published in the January 2008 issue of Pediatrics, researchers in Germany looked into whether delaying the introduction of solids past four or six months of age acts as a protective measure against children developing an atopic disease at age six. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from an ongoing birth cohort study (Influences of Lifestyle-Related Factors on the Immune System and the Development--LISA for short). Specifically, parents of 3,097 children who were born in four cities in four hospitals in Germany in November 1997 though January 1999 filled out six questionnaires over a six-year period (at child age 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4 and 6) about their child's symptoms of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis and other medical conditions, as well as diagnoses. At the six-year follow-up investigation, researchers had complete data on solid foods and atopic outcomes on 2,073 of the original 3097 children.

Contrary to popular belief, the results indicated that there was "no evidence for a protective effect of a delayed introduction of solids (past four or six months) on asthma, allergic rhinitis, or food or inhalant sensitization against food or inhalant allergens at 6 years of age." In fact, lead researcher Anne Zutavern, MD and her colleagues concluded that avoiding solid foods and a less diverse diet in the first four to six months is positively associated with a food sensitization. (The study was inconclusive about the relationship between solid food introduction and eczema.)

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