Delaying solid food by 6m doesn’t prevent allergy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Delaying the introduction of
solid food beyond 6 months of age does not protect against the
development of allergic dermatitis, the results of a new study
show. However, delayed introduction of solid food for the first
4 months of life “might offer some protection.”

Scientific evidence in support of World Health Organization
feeding guidelines for the prevention of allergic diseases,
which call for introduction of solid foods to be delayed until
6 months of age, is “scarce, inconsistent, and based on a few
studies only,” researchers from Germany note in the medical
journal Pediatrics.

Dr. Anne Zutavern from the National Research Center for
Environment and Health in Neuherberg and colleagues
investigated the timing of solid food introduction in relation
to allergy-based skin reactions and sensitivity in 2,612
infants enrolled in an ongoing study.

Giving infants a high diversity of solid foods within the
first 4 months of life increased the risk of allergic
dermatitis within 6 to 24 months of life, the authors note.
However, there was no increase in doctor-diagnosed allergic
dermatitis or sensitization, they point out.

There was also no evidence to support a protective role of
delaying the introduction of solid foods on the development of
allergic dermatitis and sensitization in children who had
parents with allergies.

Allergy symptoms may develop very early in life, the
authors also suggest, before parents decide when to introduce
solids.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, February 2006.