Study Supports Theory That Exposure to Peanut Products Could Help to Prevent Allergy

A new study backs up the theory that exposing babies to peanuts early on can help to reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy. Researchers found in 2015 that giving babies regular, small doses of peanut products (such as peanut paste) up to 11 months could reduce their risk of developing the allergy by up to 80 per cent. According to BBC News, it is now being claimed that allergy protection could be sustained even if the snacks are avoided for a year. The results, produced by King’s College London, suggested that if a child has consumed peanut products within their first 11 months, they could stop eating the food for a year at the age of 5 and still have no allergy. Lead author Professor Gideon Lack told BBC News: "(The research) clearly demonstrates that the majority of infants did in fact remain protected and that the protection was long-lasting." "I believe that this fear of food allergy has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the food is excluded from the diet and, as a result, the child fails to develop tolerance." The same children who took part in the 2015 study were used again and were considered to be prone to developing a peanut allergy (having already developed eczema as babies). Professor Lack stressed that more research was needed but it is certainly an interesting theory.