It seems that more kids are being diagnosed with allergies these days, and this may be the result of how old the children were when they were introduced to solid foods, according to a recent study published in the January issue of Pediatrics.

As part of the Finnish Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention nutrition study, a prospective birth cohort clinical trial, researchers examined the association between the age of introduction to solid foods during infancy and the children’s incidence of two types of allergies (to food and
to inhalants, such as pollen) at age 5. The study was limited to breast-fed infants.

Even after adjusting for other factors, such as genetics, the children who were introduced to solid foods later in their infancy (after 10.5 months) had significantly higher sensitization to both food and inhalant allergies at age 5. Specifically, being belatedly introduced to eggs, wheat and oats seemed to lead to more food allergies, whereas delayed introduction to potatoes and fish appeared to be the culprit in triggering inhalant allergies.