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Monitoring changes in infant feeding practices after changes to guidelines for food allergy prevention

Rachel L Peters and Kirsten P Perrett
Med J Aust 2020; 212 (6): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50535
Published online: 6 April 2020

It may soon be possible to reverse the increase in food allergy of the past few decades

IgE‐mediated food allergy is a significant public health problem in many countries, and its prevalence in Australia is the highest of any country.1 As no curative treatments are available in routine practice, effective prevention strategies are essential for managing the increasing burden. Modifying infant feeding practices has emerged as a key approach.


  • 1 Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC
  • 2 The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
  • 3 Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC


Correspondence: rachel.peters@mcri.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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  • 2. Netting MJ, Campbell DE, Koplin JJ, et al. An Australian consensus on infant feeding guidelines to prevent food allergy: outcomes from the Australian Infant Feeding Summit. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017; 5: 1617–1624.
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  • 7. Soriano VX, Peters RL, Ponsonby AL, et al. Earlier ingestion of peanut following changes to infant feeding guidelines: the EarlyNuts Study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019; 144: 1327–1335.e5.
  • 8. Koplin JJ, Peters RL, Dharmage SC, et al; HealthNuts study investigators. Understanding the feasibility and implications of implementing early peanut introduction for prevention of peanut allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2016; 138: 1131–1141 e2.
  • 9. Allen KJ, Panjari M, Koplin JJ, et al. VITALITY trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial to establish the role of postnatal vitamin D supplementation in infant immune health. BMJ Open 2015; 5: e009377.
  • 10. Lowe AJ, Su JC, Allen KJ, et al. A randomized trial of a barrier lipid replacement strategy for the prevention of atopic dermatitis and allergic sensitization: the PEBBLES pilot study. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178: e19–e21.

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