TUESDAY, Feb. 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of major and minor risk factors encompasses the most credible factors associated with development of childhood food allergy, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Nazmul Islam, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues estimated the incidence of and quantified risk factors for food allergy development in a systematic review of the literature. The analyses included 190 studies involving 2.8 million participants across 40 countries.
The researchers found that the overall food allergy incidence was likely 4.7 percent (moderate certainty) among studies using food challenge. Of the 176 studies that identified 342 risk factors with varying certainty, the strongest and most certain factors were prior allergic conditions within the first year of life, allergic rhinitis, and wheeze (odds ratios [ORs], 3.88, 3.39, and 2.11, respectively). Additional factors included severity of atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.22), increased skin transepidermal water loss (OR, 3.36), filaggrin gene sequence variations (OR, 1.93), delayed solid food introduction (e.g., peanut after 12 months [OR, 2.55]), infant antibiotic use (ORs, 4.11 and 1.39 for first month and first year, respectively), and family history of food allergy (ORs, 1.98, 1.69, and 2.07 for father, mother, and both parents, respectively). No significant risk differences were seen for low birth weight, postterm birth, maternal diet, or stress during pregnancy.
"Our study highlights that genetics alone cannot fully explain food allergy trends, pointing to interactions -- or a 'perfect storm' -- between genes, skin health, the microbiome, and environmental exposures," senior author Derek K. Chu, M.D., Ph.D., also from McMaster University, said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.