Blueberries May Ease Allergy Symptoms in Babies

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Blueberries may be more than just a tasty first food — they could help support your baby’s health in meaningful ways, according to a study published in Nutrients.

Introducing new foods during a baby’s first year of life is a key period for shaping their future health, especially when it comes to allergies, gut health and the immune system. A team of investigators set out to explore whether blueberries — a fruit rich in nutrients and antioxidants — could play a special role during this “complementary feeding” stage (when babies start solid foods alongside breast milk).

The current recommendations for introducing food into a child’s diet is around 6 months of age, and experts recommend offering a diverse range of plant-based foods to promote not only dietary diversity but optimal nutrition intake and immune system maturation. Plant-based options are rich in vitamins, fiber and flavonoids and are a source of prebiotics.

“For parents beginning to wean their infants, it’s incredibly difficult to find solid, research-backed advice on what foods to introduce,” said senior investigator Minghua Tang, Ph.D., adjoint associate professor of pediatrics in the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine’s Section of Nutrition. “This study is a critical first step in filling that gap by offering real data on how a specific food like blueberries can improve your infant’s health.”

In the randomized controlled trial, 76 breastfed infants from the Denver area were randomly assigned to receive either a small daily amount of freeze-dried blueberry powder or a calorie-matched placebo from 5 to 12 months of age. The parents were not informed which group they were placed in. By the end of the study, 61 babies completed the trial.

Researchers visited families at 7, 9 and 11 months of age and obtained stool and a fasted breastmilk samples, a health history and allergy questionnaire, and a three-day diet record and powder tracking log. At the end of the trial (12 months), families returned to the Clinical & Translational Research Center for a final visit, in which baseline intakes were repeated and their logs were collected.

Here’s what the team discovered:

• Fewer allergy symptoms over time: Babies who ate blueberries showed a greater improvement in allergy-related symptoms (such as skin rashes, congestion or digestive discomfort) compared with those in the placebo group.
• Changes in immune markers: Blood tests revealed that blueberry-fed infants had lower levels of IL-13, a marker linked to inflammation and allergy, and borderline higher levels of IL-10, which helps regulate immune responses and reduce inflammation.
• Gut microbiome shifts: Blueberry consumption also appeared to influence gut bacteria, which are known to play an important role in immune system development. Certain bacteria associated with healthier immune regulation were more common in babies who had blueberries.

While this was a small study, the findings suggest that introducing blueberries during infancy could support immune health, reduce allergy symptoms and promote beneficial gut bacteria.

The team emphasized that more studies are needed to better understand which parts of blueberries (such as antioxidants, fiber or other compounds) are responsible for these benefits, and whether other fruits or foods have similar effects.

“This research supports the idea that blueberries are not only safe for infants but also offer meaningful health benefits,” concluded Tang. “Just a few blueberries a day could make a difference in supporting long-term health. We view infancy as a critical window of opportunity and what we introduce during this time can have lasting effects as children grow.”