New York – New study has revealed that peanut allergies can be prevented in children by early exposure to the nut. Trends have shown that peanut allergies have increased to more than four times over the last 13 years, leading doctors and families to believing that infants should not be exposed to peanuts. But a New England Journal of Medicine research claims that exposing children to peanuts at the age of one minimizes the chances of developing an allergy.
In 2000, parents were advised to refrain from giving their babies peanuts until the age of three. The notice was issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, witnessing the continuous increase in peanut allergies’ cases, it withdrew the recommendation in 2008. Recently, the advice that children should not be fed peanuts at a young age to prevent peanut allergies has been proven utterly wrong.
Researchers have seen that children who are fed small amounts of peanut protein since infancy are less likely to develop allergic reactions. The study found out that babies whose diet contains some amount of peanut for at least four years of age are 81% less likely to develop an allergic against the legume. Nevertheless, the study authors also insisted that parents should adopt the diet for their children only after consultation with their doctors. This is because peanut allergies can turn out to be life-threatening in some cases.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and involved as many as 640 children. The director of the organization, Anthony Fauci, insisted that the results are unprecedented. He marveled, “The results have the potential to transform how we approach food allergy prevention.” The organization’s chairperson, Todd Mahr, also echoed the possibility. He said, “good news, in that we know now that we can do something to reverse the increasing prevalence of peanut allergy.”
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