Peanut allergies may fall by 77% if babies weaned early on products – scientists

Scientists have said that the incidence of peanut allergy could be reduced by 77% if products containing the nutrient are made part of babies’ diets at the age of four to six months.

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Researchers in the UK say they have identified a “clear window of opportunity” where introducing an allergen into a baby’s diet between four and six months of age significantly reduces the risk of developing the condition.

They said that waiting to introduce peanut products until children were one year old would reduce cases by only 33%.

The NHS currently recommends introducing solid foods to babies from around six months of age, when they are seen to be developmentally ready.

Based on their findings, recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the scientists are calling on the government to review the latest evidence.

Professor Graham Roberts, from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Center and the University of Southampton, said the last government review was in 2018 and since then there have been a number of studies showing that eating three to three Introducing at four months of age “has also successfully reduced the chances of developing peanut allergies and other food allergies”.

Introducing peanut products at four to six months of age can significantly reduce the number of babies who develop peanut allergies.

Professor Gideon Lack

He added: “So we would suggest that it is time for the government to reconsider this evidence, and I suspect they will change recommendations about introducing peanuts.”

Professor Roberts said that over several decades, “the deliberate avoidance of peanuts has led parents to fear early introduction”.

He added: “This latest evidence shows that implementing simple, low-cost, safe interventions for entire populations can be an effective preventive public health strategy that will provide wide-ranging benefits for future generations.”

According to Allergy UK peanut allergy affects around 2% (1 in 50) of children in the UK and has been on the rise in recent decades.

By the time a child is one year old, most peanut allergies have already developed.

It is more common in children with severe eczema and egg allergy, and children of non-white ethnicity are also more likely to be affected, the researchers said.

As part of the study, researchers looked at data from the Inquiring About Tolerance (EAT) and Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) studies.

The LEAP study included 640 children at high risk of developing peanut allergy and examined early introduction of peanut products.

The Eat Project looked at more than 1,300 three-month-olds recruited in England and Wales and tracked over several years to investigate the early introduction of six allergenic foods: milk, peanuts, sesame, fish, egg and wheat.

They also looked at data from the Peanut Allergy Sensitization Study.

The researchers said their findings showed that it is best to introduce peanut products to babies at four to six months of age.

For babies with eczema, researchers recommend introducing products, smooth peanut butter or other suitable peanut snacks from the age of four months.

The team said that whole or broken peanuts should not be given to infants.

Education is going to be important here for both health professionals and parents so that any changes to advice are effective and safe

Prof Mary Favrell

The baby also needs to be developmentally ready to start solid foods, he added.

The team advises mothers to breastfeed for at least the first six months of their baby’s life, as well as adding peanuts to their diet for four to six months.

Babies developing severe allergic reactions such as difficulty in breathing should seek immediate medical attention, the scientists said.

Professor Gideon Lack, King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The benefits of including peanut products in babies’ diets diminish as they get older.

“This reflects the experience in Israel, a culture in which peanut products are commonly introduced early in infant diets and peanut allergies are rare.

“There is a narrow window of opportunity to prevent allergies from developing.

“Introduction of peanut products at four to six months of age can significantly reduce the number of children who develop peanut allergy.”

Commenting on the study, Mary Fetrell, Professor of Pediatric Nutrition at the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, said: “This may well be a sensible approach, but considering only one outcome such as food allergy should not make infant feeding recommendations. are done.

“The risks and benefits of any proposal for a range of outcomes should be considered, and this is what the expert groups will do when deciding to revise the existing advice.”

They added: “As the authors point out, education will be important here for both health professionals and parents so that any changes to advice are effective and safe.”

Margaret Kelman, acting head of clinical services for Allergy UK, said: “For expectant parents and parents of young babies there will hopefully be a change in advice about weaning, especially for those babies For those considered to be at high risk of allergies.

“For those who are considering introducing peanut products at around four months, we believe it is important to do so under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

“Nevertheless this latest research supports previous studies showing that adopting this practice could potentially decrease the incidence of peanut allergy among food allergy populations.”