Peanut Allergy Prevention? Peanut Butter Snacks Could Help
Peanut Allergy Prevention? Peanut Butter Snacks Could Help – A new study suggests, If children are at risk for a peanut allergy, having them eat peanut butter frequently from an early age may help protect them from developing the allergy.
The study involved more than 600 infants in the United Kingdom ages 4 to 11 months who were at risk for a peanut allergy. That risk was revealed because the children were already diagnosed with egg allergies, or severe eczema (both are known to be linked to peanut allergies).
The children were randomly assigned to either consume 6 grams of a snack made from peanut butter per week or to avoid peanuts altogether, until they were 5 years old. Overall, about 17 percent of children who avoided peanuts ended up developing a peanut allergy by the end of the study, compared with just 3 percent of those who consumed the peanut butter snack.
The research suggests that new guidelines may be needed “to reduce the rate of peanut allergy in our children,” study researcher Dr. Gideon Lack, of King’s College London, said in a statement. In the last decade, the rate of peanut allergies in the United States has tripled.
However, it’s not clear if the allergy protection that was seen in the study would continue if the children stopped eating peanuts. To answer this question, the researchers are conducting a follow-up study in which the children who participated in the first study stop eating peanuts, and avoid eating them for one year.
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