Does Early Food Introduction Prevent Food Allergies?

In 2015, the LEAP trial turned food allergy prevention on its head by showing that introduction of peanuts between 4 and 10 months of age in children at high risk prevented peanut allergy in 80% of such children (NEJM JW Gen Med Mar 15 2015 and N Engl J Med 2015; 372:803). In the subsequent EAT trial, researchers started normal-risk children on six allergenic foods at age 3 months; the results suggested a reduction in peanut and egg allergies but failed to meet the prespecified primary endpoint (NEJM JW Gen Med Apr 15 2016 and N Engl J Med 2016; 374:1733).

To test whether the benefit of early food introduction extends to lower-risk infants, 2400 Scandinavian newborns were randomized to one of four groups: (1) no intervention; (2) skin care w…