Early Introduction of Food Allergens
Welcome to our Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Innovations podcast. We are starting a 6-part series all about food allergies at different ages and stages of life. In our first episode, we’re talking about early allergen introduction. Exploring how feeding certain foods to babies early can help prevent food allergies from developing.
This episode is produced in partnership with The Itch Podcast. Co-hosts Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney explain how feeding guidelines have changed over the past 10 years. Experts now recommend giving babies peanut, egg, and other common allergens starting around 4 to 6 months. Doing this early and often may help prevent food allergies before they start.
You can learn more about the podcast and hosts at ItchPodcast.com. Listen anytime on:
Special thanks to Genentech and Aqestive for sponsoring this podcast episode. All opinions are our own, and sponsorship doesn’t influence content or editorial decisions. Any mention of brands is informational and not an endorsement.
Why start allergenic foods early?
Doctors used to say “wait.” Now we know better. New research like the LEAP and PETIT studies, shows that babies who eat the top allergens like peanuts and eggs, early on are much less likely to develop food allergies.
But it’s not just about feeding it once. Babies need to eat these foods regularly to help their immune systems stay calm and learn to accept them.
What we cover about early allergen introduction
In this episode, our co-hosts talk about the studies that changed the rules on how we feed babies allergenic foods. They also explain how to do it safely and without too much stress.
Here are some key takeaways from the episode:
- How the research changed the rules
- How to know your baby is ready for solids
- What allergenic foods to feed and how often
- Why babies with eczema are at higher risk
- What signs to look for if you’re worried about a reaction
Early allergen introduction episode timestamps
01:04 – Why the rules about feeding babies changed
02:05 – LEAP: A study that showed peanut helps, not harms
04:18 – LEAP-ON: What happens if babies stop eating peanut?
06:30 – PETIT: A study about egg and babies with eczema
08:30 – What foods should babies eat early?
09:09 – How to feed allergenic foods safely
11:16 – How many days to wait between new foods
12:14 – Why you need to keep feeding the foods
16:19 – What if you stop for a little while?
17:03 – Should all babies eat these foods early?
18:37 – How eczema can raise the risk of allergies
21:50 – Tips about your baby’s skin when feeding
23:00 – What to do if you’re feeling nervous
24:32 – Signs your baby might be allergic
28:29 – What part of the egg should you feed?
28:57 – Do you need to worry if no one in your family has allergies?
29:17 – Does breastfeeding stop food allergies?
29:35 – Can early feeding prevent every allergy?
30:34 – What to remember from this episode
