Feeding children as young as four months small amounts of peanuts and eggs might significantly lower the risk of their developing dangerous allergies to these foods as they grow older.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) discovered that having children from four to six months eat eggs and introducing peanuts to children from four to 11 months was linked to lower rates of egg and peanut allergy. It noted egg and peanut sensitivities are the most common allergies in infants and toddlers.

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The research used the combined results of trials into the introduction of allergenic food during in the first year of life. It concluded there was "moderate certainty" early introduction of egg and peanut was associated with lower incidences of allergies to them.

The team used the phrase "moderate certainty" because the study is based on a number of studies that differ from one another in their quality and execution. It is also difficult to set a control group in feeding studies.

Dr. Robert Boyle, lead author of the research from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London said this new analysis pools all existing data, "and suggests introducing egg and peanut at an early age may prevent the development of egg and peanut allergy, the two most common childhood food allergies."

Scientists at Imperial analyzed the data from 146 studies involving more than 200,000 children. They found children that ate peanut-containing products between the ages of four and 11 months had a 70 percent lower risk of developing an allergy to the nuts compared to children who ate peanuts for the first time when they were older.

They also found kids that started eating egg between the ages of four and six months had a 40 percent reduced risk of developing an allergy to eggs.

Dr. Boyle, however, cautioned against introducing eggs and peanuts to a baby who already has a food allergy or has another allergic condition such as eczema.

"If your child falls into these categories, talk to your GP before introducing these foods," he said. "And whole nuts should be avoided in young children. If you decide to feed peanut to your baby, give it as smooth peanut butter."

He also stated the analysis didn't assess safety or how many of the babies suffered allergic reactions from the early introduction.

The study said further work needs to be done to discover the optimal timing for the introduction of egg and peanuts.

It would be wise, however, to first consult with an allergist or physician trained in management of allergic diseases before doing this, said Amena Warner, Head for Clinical Services at Allergy UK, a British medical charity dedicated to helping people with their allergies and food intolerance.

"Infants with early-onset atopic disease such as severe eczema, or egg allergy in the first four to six months of life, may benefit from evaluation by an allergist or physician trained in management of allergic diseases in this age group to diagnose any food allergy and assist in implementing these suggestions regarding the appropriateness of early peanut introduction," she said.

The UK is one of the top three countries in the world with the highest allergy incidence, said Allergy UK. There's also been a 500 percent rise in hospital admissions for food allergies since 1990.

Warner noted there "is now scientific evidence" healthcare providers should recommend introducing peanut-containing products such as smooth peanut butter (but never whole peanuts to those under 5 years of age) into the diet of "high-risk" infants early on in life (between 4 to 11 months of age) in countries where peanut allergy is prevalent since delaying the introduction of peanut might be associated with an increased risk of developing peanut allergy.

Tagsallergies, egg, peanut, peanut allergy, egg allergy, Imperial College London, Dr. Robert Boyle