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Do Solid Foods Induce Allergies in Infants? |
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THURSDAY, March 25 (HealthDayNews) -- There's conflicting evidence about the concept that delaying solid foods for infants reduces the risk of childhood allergies, says research in the current issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood.
One study included 257 infants who were born prematurely. It found that early introduction of at least four solid foods, by or before 17 weeks of age, was associated with a threefold greater risk of eczema by the time the infants were 1 year old.
The study found boys were at greater risk than girls for this association.
A second study, which included 642 children who were monitored until they were 5.5 years old, found that late introduction of solid foods did not protect the children against wheezing, allergic reactions or eczema.
The study also found little evidence of an association between feeding practices and the development of asthma.
More information
The American Medical Association has more about allergies.
(SOURCE: British Medical Journal, news release, March 22, 2004)
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