They solved the case.
Children exposed to peanut products in early childhood, as young as 4 months old, are less likely to be allergic to peanuts later in life, according to a British study published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence.
Researchers from King’s College London observed more than 500 children up to the age of 12. They found that children fed peanuts in paste or puree form until age 5 were 71% less likely to develop a peanut allergy than children who avoided peanuts.
Another study found similar results, but only looked at children up to age 5, which “wasn’t clear whether this was necessarily enough to prove long-term tolerability,” Michelle F. Huffaker, one of the authors of the new research and the director of translational medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Washington Post.
Both studies were sponsored and co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.
The latest research found that 15.4% of children who avoided peanuts developed an allergy by age 12, compared to just 4.4% of those who were exposed to peanuts.
“Today’s results should increase the confidence of parents and caregivers that feeding their young children peanut products from infancy, according to established guidelines, can provide long-lasting protection against “peanut allergy,” NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo said in a statement.
“If widely implemented,” she added, “this simple and safe strategy could prevent tens of thousands of cases of peanut allergy among the 3.6 million children born in the United States. -United every year.”
Gideon Lack, lead researcher and professor of pediatric allergy at King’s College London, told CNN he was not surprised by the results.
“Peanut allergy develops very early in most children between six and 12 months of life,” Lack said. “If you want to prevent a disease, you have to do it before it develops. »
“This biological phenomenon is based on an immunological principle called oral tolerance induction,” he continues. “We have known for many decades that young mice or other laboratory animals fed foods such as eggs, milk or peanuts cannot develop these allergies later.”
Although parents have been advised to give peanuts to their infants, many still fear exposing their children to these legumes, according to a recent study.
The guidelines say peanut butter can be spread in a thin layer or mixed with breast milk, formula, or puree. Health officials warn that whole or chopped peanuts can pose choking hazards.
“There are a number of options, but plain old peanut butter mixed with warm water can work for a 4 month old – it doesn’t have to be anything fancier than that” , said study author Huffaker.
News Source : nypost.com
Gn Health
