Eating Eggs and Peanuts in Pregnancy: What the New PrEggNut Trial Says About Baby Food Allergy

Last updated: October 2026. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for personalised advice from your doctor, health visitor, or paediatrician. See our Editorial Policy.

Quick answer: No, eating extra eggs and peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding does not appear to protect your baby from egg or peanut allergy. In the PrEggNut randomized trial (2,137 pregnancies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine), mothers who ate at least 6 eggs and 60 peanuts a week had babies with egg or peanut allergy at 1 year at a rate of 7.8%, versus 8.4% for mothers on a standard diet, a difference that was not statistically significant. The extra eggs and peanuts did not cause harm either. The practical takeaway for pediatricians reporting on the study: eat egg and peanut normally, without avoiding them or overdoing them, and focus on introducing these foods to your baby at the right time.

What the PrEggNut trial tested

Food allergens can reach a baby before the first spoonful of solids: through amniotic fluid in the womb and through breast milk afterward. Researchers wondered whether more exposure that way might help the immune system learn to tolerate them. According to Contemporary Pediatrics, the trial ran in four Australian cities and enrolled 2,137 pregnant women who were less than 23 weeks along and whose baby had at least two first-degree relatives with a medically diagnosed allergic disease. Women who were themselves allergic to eggs or peanuts were excluded.

Half were assigned to eat at least 6 eggs and 60 peanuts per week, and half to eat no more than 3 eggs and 30 peanuts per week. The diets continued through up to 4 months of breastfeeding. At about 1 year, babies were checked using skin-prick testing and, where needed, supervised food challenges, by assessors who didn’t know which group they were in.

What the results showed

• Egg or peanut allergy at 1 year: 7.8% in the high-intake group and 8.4% in the standard group (relative risk 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.69 to 1.26; P = 0.65).
• Egg allergy alone: 6.2% versus 7.2%.
• Peanut allergy alone: 2.6% in both groups.
• Eczema by 12 months: 42.8% versus 46.2%.
• Safety: serious adverse events were similar (3.6% versus 3.8%), and so was infant anaphylaxis to egg or peanut (0.5% versus 0.9%).

Those numbers come from the Contemporary Pediatrics report and match an independent summary at 2 Minute Medicine, which rated the study design highly and noted outcomes were also neutral for sensitization.

What the study can’t tell us

A trial like this is strong evidence, but it isn’t the last word. Contemporary Pediatrics lists several limits: allergy rates in both groups (about 8%) were roughly half the 16% the researchers had planned for, so the study was less sensitive than intended; the confidence interval doesn’t rule out a real 30% relative reduction; mothers knew which diet they were following; and the group was largely White and university-educated. The authors suggested the lower-than-expected rates may partly reflect updated Australian infant-feeding guidelines that every family received. 2 Minute Medicine also noted that adherence was incomplete and that families were at higher-than-average allergy risk, so results may not translate directly to every baby.

In plain terms: the study found no sign that “eating for allergy prevention” works, and no sign it’s harmful, but it can’t prove a small benefit doesn’t exist.

So should you avoid eggs and peanuts while pregnant or nursing?

No. According to Contemporary Pediatrics, current guidelines already advise against avoiding allergenic foods during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and a 2018 meta-analysis found that maternal avoidance didn’t reduce allergic disease in children. If you aren’t allergic, there’s no evidence-based reason to cut them out, and no reason to force down extra. (If you are pregnant, our guide to raw milk and raw cheese risks in pregnancy covers foods that are on the avoid list.) If you have a personal egg or peanut allergy, or have been told to avoid any food, follow your own doctor’s advice.

Where prevention does seem to matter: your baby’s first foods

The researchers’ own conclusion, as reported, is to focus prevention on timely introduction of these foods to the infant. That fits with long-standing U.S. guidance on peanut. UCLA Health’s summary of the 2017 NIAID guidelines (published February 2017, so check for newer advice) says early peanut introduction in high-risk infants reduced later peanut allergy by about 80%, and sorts babies into three groups:

1. Severe eczema and/or egg allergy: see your baby’s doctor first for an evaluation (an IgE blood test, a skin-prick test, or both). With the doctor’s approval, age-appropriate peanut-containing food can start as early as 4 to 6 months.
2. Mild to moderate eczema: introduce age-appropriate peanut food around 6 months, at home, without an in-office evaluation.
3. No eczema or food allergy: peanut-containing foods can be introduced freely alongside other solids.

UCLA also stresses this “is not a blanket recommendation to give all babies peanuts,” so talk to your pediatrician. Whole peanuts and spoonfuls or globs of peanut butter are choking hazards. Small amounts of watered-down peanut butter or peanut-flavored puff snacks are safer options. Allergic reactions to peanut usually appear within seconds to minutes, and many happen on first exposure. Early signs can include hives, lip or eyelid swelling, and severe itching around the mouth; coughing, trouble breathing, pallor, restlessness and vomiting can signal a severe reaction needing emergency help.

Egg timing isn’t covered in the sources I could load for this article, so ask your pediatrician about when and how to introduce it for your baby. Once solids are underway, our guide to iron-rich foods for babies and toddlers is a good companion.

A simple plan for parents

• While pregnant or breastfeeding: eat a normal, varied diet. Skip the egg-and-peanut “loading.”
• Before starting solids: ask your pediatrician whether your baby is low, moderate or high risk (eczema severity and any existing egg allergy are the key flags).
• At introduction: use a safe texture, start with a small amount, and watch your baby closely afterward.
• Keep it going: once a food is introduced and tolerated, ask your doctor about how often to keep offering it.

The bottom line

The PrEggNut trial gives pregnant and breastfeeding parents a bit of relief: you don’t need to eat dozens of peanuts a week, and you don’t need to avoid eggs either. What the evidence points to is your baby’s own early diet, introduced safely and on your pediatrician’s guidance. This is a single trial of higher-risk families with acknowledged limits, so keep your pediatrician in the loop, especially if your baby has eczema or a family history of allergy.

Sources

• Contemporary Pediatrics: Maternal egg-peanut diet doesn’t prevent infant allergy (Oct. 7, 2026)
• 2 Minute Medicine: High maternal egg-peanut intake not associated with reduced infant allergy (Sept. 22, 2026)
• UCLA Health: How to prevent peanut allergy in infants (Feb. 27, 2017)