Premature Infants Do Not Seem to be Predisposed to Food Allergies

Premature infants do not have an increased risk of developing food allergies than normal-birth-weight infants, according to new research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).

The study, “The risk of developing food allergy in premature or low-birth-weight children,” can be found online at www.jacionline.org. The JACI is the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).Joel J. Liem, MD, FRCPC, University of Manitoba, and colleagues, sought to determine if premature or low-birth-weight children whose guts are immature and more permeable allowing foods to be absorbed more easily, resulting in higher risk for allergy, have an increased risk of developing food allergy compared with term or normal-birth-weight children.Using the 1995 Manitoba Birth Cohort, researchers studied 13,980 children. Of these, 592 children were found to have food allergy. No gestational age or birth weight group had a statistically significant increased risk for food allergy.Researchers found that prematurity and low birth weight are not associated with a change in risk for development of food allergy in childhood. This research suggests the possibility that early introduction of highly allergenic foods early in life, such as peanuts, might actually prevent the development of allergy.(Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology : July 2007)