Exclusive colostrum intake in first three days linked to fewer allergies, Aussie researchers find
Professor Valerie Verhasselt said colostrum was rarely mentioned in data or policies despite its importance.
Babies exclusively fed colostrum in their first three days of life are almost 80% less likely to develop peanut allergy compared with those fed both colostrum and formula, an Australian study suggests.
Across both groups, more frequent breastfeeding was associated with fewer peanut allergies, with two cases recorded in 12 babies breastfed 0-3 times in three days, but no cases recorded in the 190 babies breastfed more than nine times.
The study involved 666 children born at Joondalup Health Campus in Perth.
No previous human studies had explored colostrum’s links with allergies, said the researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and the University of WA.
