Children deficient in vitamin D at age one are more likely to have food allergies, Melbourne researchers have found, but only if their parents are born in Australia.

In a study of 5000 children, researchers from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute found that one-year-olds with vitamin D deficiency were three times more likely to have a food allergy than those whose levels were sufficient.

No eggs, nuts or sesame, please: Four-year-old Ben Lytras (left) and Harry Eyres are typical of many young allergy sufferers. Credit:Eddie Jim

Children with two or more allergies were 10 times more likely to have vitamin D deficiency, according to the study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Lead researcher Katie Allen said there was some evidence that vitamin D could play an important role in regulating a child's immune system in the first year of life. She said it was likely that reduced diversity of bacteria in the gut due to increased hygiene explained the current food allergy epidemic, with vitamin D and an infant's diet also crucial factors.