Allergy prevention in children:Changed insights

The recent increase in allergic disease prevalence has led to increased interest into the factors determining allergy risk, fed by the hope that influencing these factors would reduce the prevalence of allergic conditions. A smoke free environment for the child (to be) is an important preventive measure. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least four months is recommended for many reasons, but its preventive effect on allergy is not well established. Although meta-analyses suggest that hypoallergenic formula could be used as an alternative when breastfeeding is not or no longer possible, the evidence is weak. Moreover, all preventive feeding measures have in common that their effects on allergic manifestations later in life seem to be virtually nonexistent. Counselling with regard to allergy prevention of (future) parents should highlight these limitations.