Study finds that introducing peanuts to babies early on may help prevent allergies in the future
The current shift in our perspective on peanut allergies reveals that childhood peanut avoidance may actually be contributing to the problem rather than preventing it.
Many adults over 40 have noticed the prevalence of peanut allergies in younger generations and questioned why it wasn’t as common when they were young. This rise in peanut allergies may be linked to a misguided practice that began in the late 1990s when pregnant women were advised to avoid peanuts to prevent allergies in their children.
However, recent research has shown that this advice may have been counterproductive, actually increasing the occurrence of peanut allergies. The Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study conducted in 2010 challenged traditional assumptions by demonstrating that introducing peanuts to at-risk infants reduced the likelihood of developing a peanut allergy by over 80%.
Following these findings, recommendations were updated, advising the introduction of peanut-containing products to high-risk infants between 4 and 11 months of age. Despite these guidelines, there is still a lack of awareness and some resistance to early introduction of peanuts.
The LEAP-Trio study, released in May 2028, further supports the benefits of early peanut consumption in preventing peanut allergies later in life. The long-term investigation revealed that children who consumed peanuts early in life were significantly less likely to develop a peanut allergy by the age of 12 compared to those who avoided peanuts.
Professor George Du Toit, a co-lead investigator of the LEAP-Trio study, emphasized the safety and effectiveness of early peanut introduction as a preventive measure against peanut allergies.
Changing Views on Peanut Allergies
Concern over peanut allergies was not as prominent in the past, but has dramatically increased in recent decades. Factors such as increased childhood vaccination and misguided dietary guidelines may have contributed to the rise in peanut allergies.
The epidemic of peanut allergies that emerged in Western nations in the late 1980s and early 1990s has led to a significant increase in cases over the years. However, regions like India, where peanuts are commonly consumed, have reported fewer cases of peanut allergies.
Research from the UK in 2002 found a notable increase in peanut allergies among children born in certain years, indicating a rising prevalence of sensitization to peanuts.
By 2011, the likelihood of a child developing a peanut allergy in several countries had risen to one in 50, particularly among boys.
Medical guidelines that discouraged oral exposure to peanuts during critical stages of development may have inadvertently contributed to the increase in peanut allergies. The imbalance in allergen exposure routes could have promoted allergic sensitization instead of tolerance.
Despite these challenges, the LEAP studies offer hope for preventing future cases of peanut allergies. Early consumption of peanuts could potentially prevent over 100,000 new cases of peanut allergy worldwide each year, according to Mr. Lack.
