The introduction of allergenic foods to the infant diet in a UK cohort: the impact of family history of allergy

Background/Objective: To describe the introduction of highly allergenic foods in a UK population sample, and to determine whether the introduction of highly allergenic foods differed in infants with family history of allergy. Subjects/Methods: A population birth cohort study recruited eligible pregnant women while they were attending an antenatal ultrasound clinic appointment at a UK city hospital. Parental-reported family history of allergy and infant diet was collected through structured interviews at recruitment and postal questionnaires. Parents reported on their infants’ diet at around 6 months (n = 216), around 12 months (n = 193) and around 24 months of age (n = 139). Results : Most highly allergenic foods were introduced to infants at around 6-9 months. However, nut and egg were introduced much later, and 21% of children had not been exposed to egg and 35% of infants had not been exposed to nuts by 12 months. Infants with a family history of allergy were introduced to highly allergenic foods at a similar time to other infants but were more likely to have diets that avoided foods due to allergy than other infants (most commonly dairy, soya, egg and nuts). Conclusions: As many parents delayed the introduction of egg and nuts beyond one year of age and infants with a family history of allergy were more likely to have diets that avoided foods due to allergy, these behaviours might affect the development of allergies in infants and could be a modifiable risk factor for allergy development.