The American Academy of Pediatrics offers new guidelines for food allergies and children. (Photo: LightFieldStudios, Getty Images / iStockphoto)

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended parents to introduce their baby foods containing peanuts to avoid dangerous allergies.

The new directive calls for a "targeted diet" of infants aged 4 to 6 months and at high risk of developing food allergies, possibly because they have a parent with food allergy, Peanut forms safe for babies after solid foods have already been consumed. introduced.

The published AAP updated tips Monday, which was published in the journal "Pediatrics."

"The general theory behind this is that bringing food into the body while eating is a way for the immune system to usually learn to" accept "food," said Dr. Scott Sicherer, co-author of the report. in a statement. in the US TODAY & # 39; HUI.

Sicherer said that the introduction of food should be maintained in time. "The guidelines advise eating specific amounts (three) times a week," he said.

The report replaces the 2008 guidelines, reinforcing the lack of convincing evidence that delaying the consumption of allergenic foods prevents food allergies.

Introduce peanut-containing foods to infants

The report refers to the LEAP trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and recommends introducing children at high risk of peanut allergy to peanut-containing products after 4 to 6 years. month. According to the study, only 1.9% of cases of early initiation to peanut developed an allergy, against 13.7% of children who waited until the age of 5 years.

Although the introduction may be early, high-risk babies (suffering from severe eczema or allergies to eggs) must also follow AAP guidelines that include allergy testing, the introduction of food containing peanuts to the doctor and the control of their quantity and frequency.

Babies with no increased risk can be introduced "freely" into foods containing peanuts with other solid foods, according to family preferences.

The group also warned against the risk of choking peanuts and peanut butter. He also recommends safe forms for infants, such as peanut butter reduced in mashed fruits or vegetables.

Beyond that, the report says that there is no solid evidence that other common food allergens, such as eggs, should be deliberately delayed.

The group joined the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which suggested the same guidelines in 2017 after testing 600 infants.

Breastfeeding helps asthma and eczema

The report also addressed breastfeeding mothers and food allergens. Evidence does not indicate whether breastfeeding can prevent or delay the development of food allergies in children.

But researchers say that breastfeeding during the first three to four months of life is less likely to develop eczema in the child. Children breastfed for more than four months are less likely to develop wheezing and asthma, even if they are not breastfed exclusively.

There is a lack of evidence that partial or intensive feeding with preparations prevents asthma and food allergies.

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