A decade after introducing peanut products to young babies was shown to prevent life-threatening allergies, new research confirms that the change has made a significant difference in reducing food allergy rates among US children.
Since 2015, peanut allergies began to decline, with a 27% reduction in children aged 0-3 and a further 40% decrease after expanded recommendations were issued in 2017. About 60,000 children have avoided developing life-threatening peanut allergies.
While the current rate of peanut allergy is still around 8%, this represents a 25% decline from the pre-guideline era. The study’s lead author notes that “we can actually say there are fewer kids with food allergy today than there would have been if we hadn’t implemented this public health effort.”
Early introduction of peanuts to infants, as recommended by guidelines issued in 2015 and updated in 2021, appears to be a key factor. Advocates welcome the promising results, saying that “early allergen introduction is making a measurable impact” on reducing food allergy rates nationwide.
Some parents have successfully introduced peanut products into their babies’ diets, citing benefits such as reduced risk of developing life-threatening allergies and improved immune system exposure. The study emphasizes the importance of consulting pediatricians about introducing peanuts early in life, with small amounts of peanut butter or other allergenic foods being a safe way to expose infants to these substances.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/advice-to-feed-babies-peanuts-early-and-often-helped-thousands-of-kids-avoid-allergies