Early or delayed introduction of food? Misunderstanding is in the air

Two recent articles by Koplin et al1 and Feenay et al2 discuss some features of the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study.3 We express our worries about what we consider common misinterpretations of that study. Koplin et al write that the LEAP study "provided direct evidence in high-risk infants […] that delayed introduction of dietary peanut increases the risk of peanut allergy." Feenay et al state that "early introduction of dietary peanut results in a marked reduction in the development of peanut allergy in high-risk infants." They add that the "study intervention disagrees with current World Health Organization advice, which recommends that infants should be exclusively breast-fed for the first 6 months of life."4 The former interpretation encourages health professionals to recommend introduction of complementary food before age 11 months, the latter between 4 and 6 months, not later.

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