Babies that are conceived in the summer are less likely to have food allergies than those born in the autumn season, according to recent research.

Five per cent of babies born in the summer suffered an allergic reaction to food, compared to 9.5 per cent of autumn babies, according to studies at the University of Oulu in Finland.

Researchers suggested that the disparity between the two groups may be due to the high amounts of pollen that circulate in the autumn months.

Dr Kaisa Pyrhönen, of the Institute of Health Sciences at the University of Oulu, said: "Children having their early gestational period in the pollen season for broad-leafed trees are more prone to sensitisation to food allergens than other children."

Meanwhile, research from the University of Melbourne has claimed that children who are introduced to egg earlier in life are less likely to suffer from egg allergies.

Babies that received egg after 12 months were up to five times more likely to develop egg allergies than children introduced to the food at four to six months of age, according to the study.