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Peanut Allergy Prevention Efforts Bearing Fruit, Study Finds
Local families embracing new guidelines for early introduction of allergens, seeing positive results
A decade after a groundbreaking study revolutionized our understanding of peanut allergies, new research is showing that these updated recommendations are making a real-world difference, potentially preventing tens of thousands of children from developing this life-threatening condition.
Approximately 60,000 children have avoided developing peanut allergies since medical guidelines, first issued in 2015, began recommending the introduction of peanut products to infants as young as four months old. This marked a significant departure from previous advice that advocated for delaying allergen exposure.
“That’s a remarkable thing, right?” commented Dr.
David Hill, an allergist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and lead author of a study published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics. Dr.
Hill and his team analyzed electronic health records from numerous pediatric practices to track food allergy diagnoses in young children before, during, and after the guidelines were implemented.
“I can actually come to you today and say there are less kids with food allergy today than there would have been if we hadn’t implemented this public health effort,” he added.
The researchers discovered a significant decline in peanut allergies among children aged 0 to 3. Following the initial 2015 guidance for high-risk children, there was a more than 27% reduction. This figure jumped to over 40% after the recommendations were expanded in 2017 to include all infants.
While these efforts haven’t yet reversed the overall increase in food allergies in the U.S. in recent years (currently affecting about 8% of children, with over 2% having a peanut allergy), the impact on peanut allergies specifically is undeniable.
For decades, the medical community advised delaying the introduction of peanuts and other common allergens until age three. However, a pivotal 2015 study, the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial, led by Gideon Lack at King’s College London, dramatically shifted this perspective. The LEAP trial demonstrated that introducing peanut products during infancy could reduce the future risk of developing peanut allergies by over 80%, with protection lasting into adolescence for about 70% of children.
Despite the compelling evidence, the adoption of these new guidelines has been gradual. Surveys revealed that only about 29% of pediatricians and 65% of allergists reported fully following the expanded 2017 guidance. Confusion and uncertainty among both medical professionals and parents regarding the best methods for early allergen introduction contributed to this lag.
However, the new research offers “promising evidence that early allergen introduction is not only being adopted but may be making a measurable impact,” according to a commentary accompanying the study, led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a child allergy expert at Northwestern University.
Advocacy groups are celebrating these positive signs. Sung Poblete, CEO of the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), stated, “This research reinforces what we already know and underscores a meaningful opportunity to reduce the incidence and prevalence of peanut allergy nationwide.”
Dr. Hill emphasized the current guidelines, updated in 2021, which recommend introducing peanuts and other major food allergens between four and six months of age, without prior screening or testing. He encourages parents to consult their pediatricians with any questions.
“It doesn’t have to be a lot of the food, but little tastes of peanut butter, milk-based yogurt, soy-based yogurts and tree butters,” he advised. “These are really good ways to allow the immune system exposure to these allergenic foods in a safe way.”
Tiffany Leon, 36, a registered dietitian in Maryland and director at FARE, personally embraced the new recommendations, introducing peanuts and other allergens early to her sons, James (4) and Cameron (2). She recounted her own mother’s initial shock at the updated advice, but Leon was able to explain the evolving science.
“As a dietician, I practice evidence-based recommendations,” Leon said. “So when someone told me, ‘This is how it’s done now, these are the new guidelines,’ I just thought, ‘OK, well, this is what we’re going to do.'”