Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies, which might explain why school officials aren't so keen on having the snack in schools. In fact, anyone with a peanut allergy needs quick access to an epinephrine auto-injector to prevent the life-threatening allergic reaction anaphylaxis.
Yet a new study shows that feeding peanuts to babies, as well as young children, may help in protecting them from developing these allergies later in life.
"The aim of our study was to find out whether infants who had consumed peanut in the LEAP study would remain protected against peanut allergy after they stopped eating peanut for 12 months. LEAP-On clearly demonstrates that the majority of infants did in fact remain protected and that the protection was long-lasting," said lead study author Gideon Lack of King's College London, who presented the findings at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting (AAAAI).
During the study, called LEAP-On, researchers followed close to 550 children considered high-risk of a peanut allergy. The children ate peanuts by 11 months old and were followed from ages 5 to 6.
Findings showed that children who ate peanuts early on had substantially lower rates of peanut allergies by age 5 when compared to those who did not, even if they stopped eating peanuts later on in life. In fact, after just 12 months of avoiding peanuts, researchers found that about 5 percent of children fed peanuts as babies became allergic to peanuts, compared to about 19 percent of those who stayed away from peanuts following birth.
The findings are particularly important as symptoms of anaphylaxis can begin within just minutes of exposure, including a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing and shock, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
"We need more research to better understand the mechanisms behind the development and prevention of allergic responses to peanut, and how this might translate to other food allergies," said study co-investigator George Du Toit of King's College London. "However, it is reassuring that the highly protective intervention demonstrated in LEAP was not only safe, nutritionally favorable and acceptable to participant families but also sustained even with cessation of peanut consumption for 12 months."
The study is published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
