08 Jun JAMA Pediatrics Study of 7,200 Children Finds Earlier Egg Introduction Reduces Food Allergy — With Greatest Benefit in Infants With Eczema
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Koplin
A/Prof Jennifer Koplin
BSc (Hons), PhD
Group Leader, Childhood Allergy & Epidemiology
Child Health Research Centre
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia
Dr. Koplin leads the Evidence and Translation Hub of the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (www.nace.org.au) and the Food Allergy Prevention stream of the NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Food Allergy.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In the late 1990s and early 2000s, parents were often advised to delay giving eggs and other common allergy causing foods to babies, especially if there was a family history of allergy. Based on new and evolving evidence, Australian guidelines were updated in 2016 to recommend introduction of egg and other food allergens in the first year of life to reduce the risk of food allergy.
We examined 7,200 children in two Australian population-based studies, to assess whether egg allergy rates had declined since the introduction of the 2016 guidelines.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: We found a 17% reduction in egg allergy after the introduction of the updated guidelines. The reduction in egg allergy was even more pronounced in infants with eczema, which is a known risk factor for food allergies. In these children, egg allergy rates were reduced from 35 per cent to 22 per cent.
Most parents were following the new guidelines, with more than half of all babies introduced to egg before 7 months of age, and 96% by one year of age.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: These findings add to the growing body of evidence that guidelines recommending earlier introduction of egg and other common allergy causing foods are effective in reducing the risk of allergy to these foods.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Although we are beginning to see a reduction in egg allergy, it remains relatively common. Some infants will develop food allergy despite following the guidelines, and further research is underway, and needed, to find other prevention strategies.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures?
Response: This study provides population-level evidence that updated guidelines recommending earlier introduction of egg were associated with measurable reductions in the prevalence of egg allergy. These findings suggest that guideline changes, based on evidence from randomized trials and widely adopted, can lead to meaningful reductions in food allergy prevalence.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, early introduction of allergenic foods in the first year of life is now supported by a growing body of clinical evidence as a strategy to reduce the development of food allergies in infants.
For more on food allergy and immune health research, see MedicalResearch.com’s allergy and asthma research coverage.
Citation:
Egg Allergy Prevalence Before and After Guidelines for Earlier Egg Introduction
Jennifer J. Koplin PhD, Desalegn Markos Shifti PhD, Victoria X. Soriano PhD, Rushani Wijesuriya PhD, Margarita Moreno-Betancur PhD, Alexsandria Odoi BBNSc, Anne-Louise Ponsonby PhD, Kirsten P. Perrett PhD, Adrian J. Lowe PhD, Mimi L. K. Tang PhD, Katrina J. Allen PhD, Shyamali C. Dharmage PhD, Rachel L. Peters PhD
JAMA Pediatrics. Published online June 8, 2026.
JAMA Pediatrics Editorial:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2849465
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Last Updated on June 8, 2026 by Marie Benz MD FAAD