Expecting Mother's Study of Consumption or Avoidance of Peanut and Egg

Peanut allergy is the most common cause of fatal and near-fatal food-allergic reactions and egg allergy is among the two most common causes of food-induced anaphylaxis. The proposed research will explore the development of sensitization to these food(s) in infants based on maternal consumption or avoidance during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The goals of this study include defining the role of egg and peanut consumption or avoidance during pregnancy and via human milk in food sensitization and identifying the underlying biological mechanisms leading to sensitization or tolerance. The study population will include 500 mother/infant dyads who plan to exclusively feed breastmilk to healthy infants. We expect approximately 25% will be recruited locally and the rest from across the United States. This is a national, parallel, two arm, one-to-one allocation, single blinded, randomized controlled trial. Each arm of the study defines maternal diet from 27 weeks gestation through their baby's fourth month with some consuming peanut and egg and some avoiding these foods.