Study Shows Sharp Decline in Children's Food Allergies After Guideline Changes on Early Peanut Introduction

Food allergies in children dropped sharply in the years after new guidelines encouraged parents to introduce infants to peanuts, a study has found.

For decades, as food allergy rates climbed, experts recommended that parents avoid exposing their infants to common allergens.

But a landmark trial in 2015 found that feeding peanuts to babies could cut their chances of developing peanut allergies.

Doctors have long recommended that infants avoid peanuts. But in 2017, experts officially reversed that guidance, and food allergies decreased sharply.