A new Canadian study says giving babies peanuts, eggs, fish and other common food allergens early and consistently decreases the risk they'll be allergic to them.
Senior author Dr. Derek Chu [pictured right] says researchers analyzed more than 190 food allergy studies from around the world to identify the strongest risk factors in developing food allergies.
Their findings, published this month in JAMA Pediatrics, found that delaying the introduction of peanut containing foods until babies were more than 12 months old doubled their likelihood of becoming allergic to the nut.
The study showed similar results for fish and eggs.
Babies who have other allergies, asthma, wheezing or eczema in their first year of life — or have an allergic parent or sibling — are also at higher risk of developing a food allergy.