STUDY FOUND 60,000 CHILDREN AVOIDED PEANUT ALLERGIES THROUGH EARLY EXPOSURE

Approximately 8% of kids in the US alone suffer from a food allergy, with over 2% having a peanut allergy. The notion that introducing peanuts too early will unavoidably result in a lifelong allergy was refuted in 2015 when researchers proposed that early exposure could prevent peanut allergies in infants and young children. In addition to existing national guidelines, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) formally issued an early-introduction method by 2017. Ten years later, these results are supported by yet another important study.

The study, which was published last month in Paediatrics, found that following the release of allergy guidelines in 2015, the prevalence of food allergies in children under three years old decreased by more than 27%. Following the 2017 expansion of the identical guidelines, that percentage fell by over 40%. According to the report, the updated recommendations have prevented food allergies in roughly 60,000 children over the last ten years, including 40,000 who would have otherwise developed a peanut allergy.

The study's principal author, pediatric allergist Dr David Hill, told NPR that "early allergen introduction works." "It appears that we are beginning to slow down the food allergy epidemic in this nation for the first time in recent memory."

Dr Hill and his colleagues examined electronic health records from almost 50 pediatric practices nationwide, encompassing 125,000 children, to reach their findings. Targeting the prevalence of food allergies in children both before and after the updated guidelines were released, the team used diagnostic codes and Epi-Pen prescriptions to identify allergies. It is currently unknown if the allergy decline persisted throughout adolescence because the study only tracked children until they were three years old.

Dr Hill said, "It's really persistent." The percentage of children who outgrow a peanut allergy is only around 10%.

Although the exact cause of food allergies is unknown, scientists have largely figured out how they manifest in the body. In summary, the body's immune system misinterprets peanut proteins as harmful, causing it to release chemicals that cause allergic reactions like hives or anaphylaxis. Because the immune system is still developing, Dr Hill thinks that exposing infants to allergenic foods early on can help the body adapt appropriately. Peanuts and related allergens should ideally be introduced to babies by their parents between the ages of four and six months.

Dr Hill clarified on CNN Health that "it doesn't have to be a lot of the food, but little tastes of peanut butter, milk-based yoghurt, soy-based yoghurts, and tree butters." "Certain are excellent methods for safely exposing the immune system to certain sensitive foods."