Early Antibiotic Exposure Shapes Childhood Food Allergy Risk

New Dutch follow-up data suggest antibiotics in the first week of life may be linked to higher food allergy rates in later childhood, without the same signal for asthma or inhalant allergies.

A long-term follow-up of the Dutch INCA birth cohort found that infants treated with antibiotics during their first week of life had higher odds of developing food allergies by ages 9 to 12, while rates of asthma, eczema, and inhalant allergies were not increased. The findings point toward early-life microbiome disruption as a possible contributor.

Study…