Diet diversity
Diet diversity is the number of different foods, food groups or food allergens eaten over time, such as the first year of life. Recently there has been considerable interest in the effect of infant diet diversity in preventing allergic diseases. A task force report from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)148 suggested that increased diet diversity in infancy may reduce the risk of developing allergic diseases such as asthma, AD, allergic rhinitis or FA in later childhood. Two observational studies, have shown increased diet diversity in the first year of life to be associated with reduced FA by six147 and ten149 years. Using data from Europe and the UK, these observational studies suggest that early oral intake of a variety of foods and food allergens, once the infant is developmentally ready, may reduce the incidence of FA in the first 10 years of life. Studies focusing on diet diversity in infancy and AD in childhood are however less clear. One study found both an increased risk and no effect on AD outcomes at different timepoints.150 Another study reported a preventative effect and no effect at different time points.150,151Three studies found both an increased risk152,153and a preventative effect154-156 of increased diet diversity on AD outcomes in childhood.