Early Exposure to Peanuts Can Prevent Long-Term Allergy [Video]

Key Takeaways

Early exposure to peanuts can prevent long-term allergyInfants exposed to peanut products had a 71% lower rate of peanut allergyKids’ resistance to peanut allergy persisted even if they didn’t regularly eat peanuts later in childhood

WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Feeding kids peanuts early in childhood can drastically reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy, a new clinical trial reports.

Children regularly fed peanut products from infancy to age 5 had a 71% lower rate of peanut allergies by the time they reached their teen years, researchers reported May 28 in the journal NEJM Evidence.

The study “should reinforce parents’ and caregivers’ confidence that feeding their young children peanut products beginning in infancy according to established guidelines can provide lasting protection from peanut allergy,” said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

“If widely implemented, this safe, simple strategy could prevent tens of thousands …