Peanut butter for non-allergic babies may reduce later allergies

Conclusion This well-designed randomised controlled trial has found that the early introduction of regular small amounts of peanut protein to infants at high risk of having allergies reduced the proportion who developed a peanut allergy by age five, compared to avoiding peanuts completely. The study looked at a group of infants who were at a particularly high risk of going on to develop food allergies, because they already had severe eczema or an allergy to eggs, or both. It is important to know that this study was not about treating infants or children who already had a peanut allergy. Those who showed a strong reaction on a skin prick test were excluded from the study, and those who showed an allergic reaction to eating peanut protein during the study were advised not to eat them. The results of this study do not apply to this group, and the researchers say they don’t know if their approach would work and be safe in this group. The main limitation to the study was that parents and children could not be blinded to which group they were part of. However, the use of objective tests for allergic reactions should mean that their views cannot influence this outcome. There appeared to be a high level of compliance with the group allocations, but this was largely based on reports from the parents, so may not be fully accurate. Overall, this study suggests that eating peanut products early in life may reduce the risk of children with a tendency towards allergies developing a pea...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Pregnancy/child Source Type: news