Media release

From: The Kids Research Institute Australia

World-first evidence links exclusive colostrum intake with reduced peanut allergy risk 

• First-of-its-kind findings show that newborns exclusively fed colostrum in their first 72 hours of life were five times less likely to develop a peanut allergy by 12-18 months, and 11 times less likely to develop multiple food allergies (such as egg or cow’s milk) compared with infants who also received formula supplementation during that period.
• Infants fed colostrum more than nine times a day had no cases of peanut allergy, even if they also received formula supplementation.
• First evidence to link exclusive colostrum intake with long-term health benefits to newborns.
• Currently, one in two newborns in Western Australia receive formula top-ups in their first 72 hours of life, missing out on the protective benefits of colostrum.
• In 2022, allergies cost the Australian healthcare system more than $7 billion, with 12,000 hospitalisations and an estimated 20 deaths from anaphylaxis.

New research has found that newborns 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, such as egg or cow’s milk, compared with infants who also received formula during that period.

The first-of-its-kind study, led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia, has been published in the top-ranked journal, Allergy.

Utilising data from 666 infants participating in ORIGINS – Australia’s largest 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.

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 The University of Western Australia – said the study uncovered several other notable findings.

“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,” Professor Verhasselt said.

“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.

“Strikingly, we observed that nine or more colostrum feedings per day might fully protect the infants against peanut allergy.”

Professor Verhasselt said it was important to recognise that not all mothers were able to breastfeed, whether due to personal circumstances, health conditions, or medical needs that require supplementation for their newborns.

She said it was imperative that parents of children who received formula during their first 72 hours of life were 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,” Professor Verhasselt 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.”

About ORIGINS

ORIGINS, a collaboration between The Kids Research Institute Australia and Joondalup Health Campus, is the largest longitudinal study of its kind in Australia. Following 10,000 WA children from their time in the womb into early childhood, its goal is to understand the impact of the early environment of the development of chronic diseases. With 60 nested sub-projects, ORIGINS provides a research-enabling platform for cost-effective, large-scale studies, supported by more than 400,000 biological samples and 60 million data points.