A decade after research showed that feeding peanut products to infants could prevent severe allergies, new data confirms the approach is working. Scientists say earlier peanut introduction has significantly reduced allergy rates among children in real-world settings.

Washington

Recent research indicates that introducing peanut products to infants at an early age has significantly reduced the incidence of peanut allergies. The study estimates that this approach has prevented approximately 60,000 children from developing peanut allergies.

Medical experts explain that early exposure helps the immune system recognize peanuts as a normal part of the environment, lowering the likelihood of an allergic reaction. However, parents are advised to consult healthcare professionals before introducing peanuts, especially for infants with conditions like severe eczema, as they may be at higher risk for severe reactions.

Early peanut introduction linked to fewer allergies, study shows

This story is getting the attention of a lot of parents with young kids. New research finds a decade-old approach to preventing peanut allergies is working. The study says feeding peanut products to young babies has prevented about 60,000 children from becoming allergic. Dr. John Lepuk joins us now. We've been hearing what seem to be conflicting, you know, points of view on this for years now, doctor. So what's the science behind this? How does this early intervention work? Well, you remember about 30 years ago, we saw a rise, dramatic rise in peanut allergies. And the initial reaction was to say, okay, let's avoid it. Let's give the peanuts later. It turns out that was wrong. And medicine is an eternally humbling profession. And actually, studies showed that if you introduce it earlier, you actually decrease the risk of an allergic reaction. The thinking was that you're teaching the immune system to say, look, this is not something that's foreign. It's part of the environment. You don't have to attack it. I'm a parent. Should I be doing this? So first of all, definitely check with your pediatrician, with your healthcare provider for everything we're talking about right now. But in general, the advice is that at four to six months to introduce small amounts of the peanut protein in an infant safe way to avoid a choking. So they get used to this thing. But what about exceptions? Are there any here? There are. I just got off the phone with a pediatric allergist and she said, you know, the infants that are at most risk of a severe reaction are those with things like severe eczema. But they also, when you give them the peanut, when you introduce it, you could have a severe reaction that's a problem. So you definitely, in those cases, should check with a health professional, maybe an allergist to say what's the safest way of doing this. Some reason this wasn't a thing when we were kids, but it is now. It certainly is now. All right.

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