Asthma and allergies are at exceedingly high levels among today’s school age children.  One common recommendation of many respected professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, is that solid foods for at least the first 4 months of life should be avoided.  These organizations cite studies that have suggested an increased risk of allergy associated with earlier introduction of solids.

These investigators performed a Medline search and found 2719 article citations and reviewed references of relevant articles. They critically evaluated the methods and results of articles that met inclusion criteria and identified 13 studies that met them. 

Of these studies, there was only 1 controlled trial.  Five studies found a positive association between early solid feeding and eczema, with a persistence of the association for 10 years in 1 study. Four studies found no association. One study found an association between early solid feeding and pollen allergy.  There was no strong evidence to support the association between early solid feeding and the development of persistent asthma, persistent food allergy, allergic rhinitis, or animal dander allergy.   

(Tarini BA et al. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2006; 160:502-507.)  – H.T.