Webinar Recap: Food allergy prevention – Can maternal and infant diets reduce the risk of food allergy?

In our latest Yakult Knowledge webinar, Associate Professor Debbie Palmer explored current and emerging research in food allergy prevention, with a focus on how maternal and infant nutrition may influence allergy risk.

Key topics covered in the presentation included:

• The changing approach to food allergy prevention, from allergen avoidance to early introduction.
• Evidence supporting the introduction of common allergenic foods, particularly egg and peanut, from around six months of age once solids have commenced.
• The importance of regular consumption of allergenic foods once introduced and tolerated.
• Research showing that providing families with practical infant feeding guidance can support earlier introduction of egg and peanut and reduce the prevalence of these allergies in high-risk infants.
• Emerging research into maternal prebiotic supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, including its effects on the maternal and infant gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acid profiles.
• The potential relationship between antibiotic exposure, prebiotics and infant food allergy risk, an area where further research is still needed.

Overall, the webinar highlighted the importance of evidence-based infant feeding practices while also looking ahead to how maternal nutrition and the early-life gut microbiome may contribute to future food allergy prevention strategies.