Yogurt given to infants in the first year of life may protect them from developing eczema and allergy, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, and the University of Auckland have found.

The effects are striking says Dr. Julian Crane from the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, who led the Health Research Council-funded study, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy this week.

“We found up to 70% reduction in eczema and allergy in the first year of life for daily consumers,” Dr Crane says. “The more regularly yogurt was given, the greater the effect.”

The study involved 390 mothers in Wellington and Auckland who were asked about various foods they gave to their infants in the first year of life and the infants were seen regularly for signs of eczema and had a skin prick test for allergy at 1 year.

The researchers say the results should encourage parents to consider feeding their infants yogurt, especially if they are worried about a risk of eczema or allergic disease.

Full fat, plain, unsweetened yogurt is already recommended by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and other groups for infants from 6 months of age as an excellent food. The researchers believe this finding about allergy protection in infants eating yogurt may provide an added benefit.

“We found that regular consumption of yogurt gave stronger protection, but what we don’t know yet is what type of yogurt is best or how much is protective,” Dr. Crane cautions.

The researchers also do not know whether the effect will last into later childhood.

“In addition, our study does not provide ‘proof’ that it is the yogurt that is responsible. This would require a trial in which some infants get yogurt and some don’t. No such trial has yet been done,” says Dr. Crane.

“What we have found is an ‘association’—ie, infants who were fed yogurt had less eczema and were less likely to be allergic. At least two other things could explain this.”

These are, that parents who give yogurt to their infants also do other things that might be reducing the chances of allergies that the researchers are not aware of.

Or, if parents whose children are at increased risk of eczema and allergy deliberately avoid yogurt, this may make it appear that yogurt is giving protection.

“We don’t think this is the case, but only a trial where parents can’t choose yogurt could prove this,” Dr. Crane explains.

In the meantime, plain, unsweetened yogurt is recommended for infants from 6 months of age as it may reduce allergies.