MATSUI, GALLAGHER LEAD EFFORT TO HIGHLIGHT BENEFITS OF EARLY INTRODUCTION OF FOOD ALLERGENS IN PREVENTING FOOD ALLERGIES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) led a group of 10 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), urging the committee to evaluate early introduction of food allergens to prevent development of food allergies in their upcoming Scientific Report. The DGAC, comprised of expert advisors in the fields of food and nutrition, is tasked with reviewing the evidence on nutrition science in preparation for the issuance of the updated 2025 Dietary Guidelines.
“As Congressional champions for Americans with food allergies, we write to urge the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to include in its Scientific Report a review of the evidence regarding early introduction of common allergens in the dietary recommendations for birth through 24 months of age,” wrote the lawmakers.
Every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room and more than 200,000 people per year require emergency medical care due to a severe food-related allergic reaction. Food allergies are not only a medical concern, but also an economic one. Caring for children with food allergies costs approximately $25 billion each year. This includes costs from medical providers, medications, emergency room and hospital visits, missed work and school.
“[…] the incidence of food allergies is skyrocketing—the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports that the prevalence of food allergy in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011,” the lawmakers continued.“However, a growing body of evidence provides hope that this trend may be reversed – studies have indicated that early introduction of potential allergens may prevent development of food allergies.”
Congresswoman Matsui has been a longtime advocate for the food allergy community. She is co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Food Allergy Research Caucus and authored the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in April 2021.
A copy of the letter can be found below and HERE.
Dear Ms. De Jesus:
As Congressional champions for Americans with food allergies, we write to urge the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to include in its Scientific Report a review of the evidence regarding early introduction of common allergens in the dietary recommendations for birth through 24 months of age. Given the significant burden of food allergies on Americans, and their increasing prevalence, it is imperative that the DGAC use its platform to highlight the latest science on food allergy prevention, helping Americans to live safer and healthier lives. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the important work of the DGAC as it undertakes its scientific review to aid in the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) that occurs every five years.
Food allergies impact an estimated 33 million people in the United States, including 5.6 million U.S. children, or about 1 in 13 kids. Food allergies can be severe and life-threatening, resulting in approximately 200,000 individuals requiring emergency medical treatment annually. More concerning, the incidence of food allergies is skyrocketing—the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports that the prevalence of food allergy in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. However, a growing body of evidence provides hope that this trend may be reversed – studies have indicated that early introduction of potential allergens may prevent development of food allergies.
For example, the groundbreaking Learning Early about Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial demonstrated reduction in development of peanut allergy by over 80 percent in children who were exposed to foods containing peanut starting at age 4-10 months. This research, and additional studies that followed, spurred a radical shift in infant feeding recommendations from major groups. In 2016, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States, Report of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel (Addendum Guidelines) recommending that infants across levels of risk should be introduced to age-appropriate peanut-containing foods starting around 4-6 months of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also endorsed guidelines recommending early introduction of peanut protein for infants.
Evidence has also accumulated in favor of early introduction of egg into infants’ diets. In 2021, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; and the Canadian Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology published joint guidance following a literature review of available evidence on early introduction. The groups recommended introducing peanut-containing and egg-containing products to all infants starting around age 6 months.
Research demonstrating the benefits of early introduction, and the guidance that followed, represents a reversal of long-held belief that parents should delay introducing peanuts and other common allergens into their children’s diets. Given the potential harms of following this older guidance, policymakers, health care providers, public health workers, and advocates should be aware of this new research by incorporating it into key nutritional guidance for Americans, notably, the DGA.
As you know, the 2020-2025 edition of the DGA was expanded to cover, for the first time, dietary recommendations for birth through 24 months of age. We were pleased to see the 2020-2025 DGA included a recommendation on early introduction of peanut to reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy based on the NIAID Addendum Guidelines. In addition, the prior DGAC Scientific Report recommended inclusion of both egg and peanut as having sufficient evidence to be covered in the 2020-2025 DGA.
Nonetheless, as we have been monitoring the ongoing work of the 2025-2030 DGAC, we note that it has not included evaluation of current science on early introduction in the diet of infants to prevent food allergy as a research question. We are concerned that the DGAC may not be continuing to evaluate the benefit of early introduction of food allergens and building on its previous recommendations based on the growing body of scientific evidence, which could result in an updated DGA that does not reflect the most current science. We urge the DGAC to thoroughly evaluate the total body of evidence on early introduction of food allergens to prevent development of food allergies. Early introduction of food allergens is critical to reducing the development of food allergies and their often life-long burden.
We look forward to your prompt response. Thank you for your time and attention to this crucial matter.
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