You SHOULD Give Babies Peanuts: Evidence That Stopping Children’s Nut Eating at a Young Age Dramatically Increases the Risk of Fatal Allergy

By Liam On May 28, 2024

Research shows that weaning babies on peanuts drastically reduces the chance of developing a serious allergy.

A British study shows that giving peanuts to children from four months of age probably has a protective effect.

Researchers from Kings College London found that regular peanut consumption from childhood to the age of five reduced the number of peanut allergies by 71 percent.

This remained the case years later as teenagers, when they had eaten or avoided peanuts at will, showing long-lasting protection.

Researchers said the ‘simple intervention’ could save thousands of young people from developing the potentially fatal condition.

Researchers from Kings College London found that regular peanut consumption from childhood to the age of five reduced the number of peanut allergies by 71 percent

Peanut allergies are on the rise in Western countries, affecting around two percent of children in Britain, North America, Australia and Western Europe.

It develops early in life, is rarely outgrown and has no cure, so parents are often afraid to introduce it into their diet.

At its most dangerous, it can cause anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal.

Researchers wanted to build on previous results from the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) clinical trial, in which they had found that early introduction reduced the risk of peanut allergy by 81 percent at age five.

WHAT IS ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK?

Anaphylaxis, also known as anaphylactic shock, can be fatal within minutes.

It is a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy.

The reaction can often be triggered by certain foods, including peanuts and shellfish.

However, some medications, bee stings, and even latex used in condoms can also cause the life-threatening reaction.

According to the NHS, it occurs when the immune system overreacts to a trigger.

Symptoms include: feeling light-headed or fainting; breathing difficulties – such as rapid, shallow breathing; wheezing; a fast heartbeat; clammy skin; confusion and anxiety and collapse or loss of consciousness.

It is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.

Insect stings are not dangerous to most victims, but a person does not necessarily have to suffer from a pre-existing condition to be at risk.

An increasing build-up of stings can cause a person to develop an allergy, with a subsequent sting causing the anaphylactic reaction.

They followed the same two groups of children aged six to twelve or older, with half eating peanuts regularly since childhood and the other group avoiding them.

During that time, children could choose to eat peanuts in any quantity and frequency they desired.

About 15.4 percent of those in the early childhood peanut avoidance group had a peanut allergy, compared to just 4.4 percent of those who first started – the equivalent of 71 percent higher.

Lead researcher Professor Gideon Lack from King’s College London said: ‘Decades of advice to avoid peanuts has made parents fearful of introducing peanuts at a young age.

‘The evidence is clear that early introduction of peanuts at a young age produces long-term tolerance and protects children from allergy well into adolescence.

‘This simple intervention will make a remarkable difference for future generations and ensure peanut allergies plummet.’

He added: ‘Early consumption of peanuts will prevent more than 100,000 new cases of peanut allergy worldwide each year.’

Scientists tested peanut tolerance by gradually increasing the amount of peanuts they were given to determine if they could safely consume at least 5 grams – the equivalent of more than 20 peanuts.

Participants were also asked to complete surveys about their recent peanut consumption patterns.

This was verified by measurements of peanuts in dust from participants’ beds, a technique used successfully in the first LEAP trial.

They found that although those in the original peanut-eating group generally ate more peanuts throughout childhood, the frequency and amount consumed varied widely and included periods when peanuts were not eaten.

This shows that the protective effect of early peanut consumption lasts without having to consistently eat peanut products, according to the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers hope this will put an end to years of conflicting advice. Mothers and fathers used to be told not to give peanuts to children with a family history of a peanut allergy until they were at least three — and to anyone else until they were at least one.

That guideline was dropped in 2009, when they were told to avoid peanuts until their babies were at least six months old, regardless of their allergies.

Peanut allergies are on the rise in Western countries, affecting around two percent of children in Britain, North America, Australia and Western Europe

In Britain, the NHS still recommends that babies are fed nuts and peanuts from around six months, as long as they are crushed, ground or in smooth butter form.

Professor George Du Toit, co-principal investigator at King’s, said the research suggests this can be reduced.

He said: ‘This is a safe and highly effective intervention that can be implemented from as early as four months of age.

‘The child should be developmentally ready to begin weaning and peanuts should be introduced as a soft pureed paste or as peanut puffs.’

The study was sponsored and co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the US National Institutes of Health, where guidelines urge parents to give diluted peanut butter to babies as young as four months.