Ask the expert: Is it possible to prevent peanut allergy?

I have seen so many of my friends’ children diagnosed with severe food allergies. Is there anything I can do to stop my baby from having a peanut allergy?   Panicked about peanuts John Lee, MD, clinical director, Boston Children’s Hospital Food Allergy Program Food allergies are on the rise. They are more prevalent than ever before. It is estimated that one in 13 school kids have a life-threatening food allergy. Although some food allergies can be outgrown, peanut allergies tend to be lifelong. In the hope of preventing allergies, doctors used to recommend avoiding foods that are more commonly allergenic—like peanuts, tree nut, fish and egg—in the first years of life. However, since this did not stem the rise in food allergies, our thinking has changed toward earlier introduction of foods to induce tolerance. For the past several years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended introducing these foods in the first year of life for those without a history of allergies. A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looked at this closely. It evaluated the effect of early and deliberate introduction of peanuts in infants on the development of food allergies. The results of this study were more successful than anyone had ever thought they would be, and are changing how we approach prevention of food allergies. The concept behind the study is based on a simple observation about a hugely popular snack food in Israel. Bamba, a peanut-based snack, ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Food allergies Source Type: news