Exclusive colostrum intake may reduce risk of food allergies

New research has found that newborns who are exclusively fed colostrum — the breastmilk produced in the first 72 hours following birth — were five times less likely to develop a peanut allergy by 12–18 months, and 11 times less likely to develop multiple food allergies, compared with infants who also received formula during that period. The study was led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia (UWA), and has been published in the journal Allergy.

Utilising data from 666 infants participating in the ORIGINS longitudinal birth cohort study — which is tracking 10,000 Western Australian families from conception into early childhood — the researchers compared the risk of developing food allergies at 12–18 months of age between infants who were exclusively fed colostrum (ECF) in their first 72 hours of life and those who were only partially fed colostrum (PCF) during the same period. The team used hospital records to determine how the infants were fed during their first three days of life and gathered their food allergy data from the children’s paediatric appointments at 12–18 months.

More than half of the 666 infants were classified as PCF, having received formula supplementation within their first 72 hours of life. By 12–18 months, these children were found to be five times more likely to develop a peanut allergy and 11 times more likely to develop multiple food allergies.

“The increased risk of peanut allergy was most pronounced in PCF infants with later peanut allergen introduction, while it remained very low in ECF infants,” said lead author and chief investigator Professor Valerie Verhasselt, Head of Immunology and Breastfeeding at The Kids Research Institute Australia and Director of the Larsson Rosenquist Foundation Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding at UWA.

“This suggests that ECF is a primary preventive strategy, whereas early peanut introduction is a risk-mitigating strategy that might be especially relevant for the higher-risk PCF infants,” Verhasselt added. The study also found that infants fed colostrum more than nine times per day had no cases of peanut allergy, even if they also received formula supplementation.

First author Dr Maheshwar Bhasin, also from The Kids Research Institute Australia and UWA, said it is important to recognise that not all mothers are able to breastfeed, whether due to personal circumstances, health conditions, or medical needs that require supplementation for their newborns. It is therefore imperative that parents of children who receive formula during their first 72 hours of life are given clear, supportive guidance on how to reduce their child’s risk of developing allergies.

“For infants who receive only partial colostrum feeding in the first 72 hours, it is especially important for parents to provide as much colostrum as possible and to introduce allergens into their child’s diet earlier, as recommended by current guidelines,” Bhasin said.

“It is our hope that we can continue to increase awareness of colostrum feeding through providing evidence-based education to early-life healthcare providers, and empower all parents with clear, informative resources to help them make informed decisions for themselves and their newborns, in collaboration with their healthcare team.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Anastasiia Stiahailo