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TOPLINE:

Children with food allergies before age 2 years were not more likely to have difficult eating behaviors — such as food fussiness or slowness in eating — as teenagers, compared with peers without a history of allergy.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 782 children (51.3% boys) born in Paris between 2003 and 2006 who were followed to age 13 years to examine whether childhood food allergy affected later eating behavior and food choices.
• Parents reported 6% of the children had a doctor-diagnosed food allergy by age 2 years.
• At age 13 years, the children completed a 30-item food frequency questionnaire, and their parents answered questions about the teens’ eating behavior.

TAKEAWAY:

• Teens who had an early childhood food allergy were not more likely to have eating difficulties than those without a history of food allergy, the researchers reported.
• Early childhood food allergy was associated with more enjoyment of food, less satiety responsiveness, and lower scores on a measure of emotional overeating at 13 years of age.
• Teens with an early food allergy reported more frequent consumption of fruits, soda, and sweet foods and less frequent intake of meat than their peers (P < .05 for all). Intake of dairy, vegetables, starchy foods, and total animal protein did not significantly differ.

IN PRACTICE:

“Overall, our findings do not suggest that a history of early food allergy is associated with increased eating difficulties in adolescence,” the authors of the study wrote. “Nevertheless, the higher consumption of sweet foods observed in adolescents with early food allergy warrants further attention.”

SOURCE:

Fanny Rancière, PharmD, PhD, with Université Paris Cité in Paris, France, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on May 20, 2026, in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study lost participants over time, mainly because families moved out of the study area. The researchers relied on parents to report allergies and eating behavior.

DISCLOSURES:

The study received support from the Paris Municipal Department of Social Action, Childhood, and Health; the European collaborative program MeDALL; Agence Nationale de la Recherche; and Université Paris Cité. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.