TOPLINE:

Infants who received partial colostrum feeding in the first 3 days of life had over a fourfold higher risk for peanut allergy and an over 11-fold higher risk for multiple food allergies at 12-18 months of age than those who received exclusive colostrum feeding.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from the ORIGINS cohort in Australia to assess the importance of colostrum in allergy prevention.
• They analyzed data from 666 mother-infant pairs and categorized infants as exclusively colostrum-fed if they received only colostrum and no other liquids except vitamin/mineral drops or partially colostrum-fed if they received both formula and colostrum within the first 3 days.
• They compared the risk of developing a peanut allergy by 12-18 months of age between partially colostrum-fed infants and exclusively colostrum-fed infants.
• A skin prick test was used to confirm the diagnosis of allergic sensitization to food allergens such as egg, peanut, cow’s milk, cashew, fish, and wheat.

TAKEAWAY:

• Partial colostrum feeding was observed in 46% of infants; these infants had higher odds of developing peanut allergy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.47; 95% CI, 1.04-19.12) and multiple food allergies (aOR, 11.44; 95% CI, 1.48-88.55) than those fed colostrum exclusively.
• Among infants who received partial colostrum feeding, those with delayed peanut introduction (> 7 months) had a higher risk of developing peanut allergy (aOR, 5.45; 95% CI, 1.18-25.11) than those with earlier introduction (≤ 7 months).
• No cases of peanut allergy were observed in infants who received nine or more colostrum feeds per day during the first 72 hours of life, regardless of formula supplementation.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our [study] findings showing an association between PCF [partial colostrum feeding] and food allergies other than cow’s milk allergy suggest that formula supplementation may be detrimental for reasons other than exposing neonates to foreign allergens,” the authors wrote. “These findings bring a novel perspective on the contribution of reduced colostrum intake in formula-fed newborns to allergy risk,” they added.

SOURCE:

Maheshwar Bhasin, with The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, was the corresponding author of this study, which was published online on September 18, 2025, in Allergy.

LIMITATIONS:

Allergy diagnoses were not confirmed by oral food challenges, and eczema diagnosis relied on parental reports of a physician’s diagnosis. Follow-up ended at 12-18 months; therefore, later-onset food allergies may have been missed. Wide CIs around the reported protective effects indicate imprecise estimates, and the sample’s high education level and high prevalence of parental allergy may limit generalizability.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by Channel 7 Telethon Trust and the Family Larsson‐Rosenquist Foundation. One author reported receiving an investigator-initiated grant from GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Regeneron and an investigational product from Primus Pharmaceuticals for unrelated research.

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