Babies can have peanut butter early to avoid allergy: study

A little nut does the trick.

Introducing newborns to peanut butter can prevent them from developing a peanut allergy later, according to new research.

The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, revealed a 77% decrease in peanut allergies when the food was consumed by 4-month-olds who had severe eczema and at 6 months for infants with mild or no eczema.

Children who delayed their peanut introduction until 12 months noticed an allergy rate drop of only 33%.

“The policy of early universal peanut introduction will prevent 60,000 infants every year from developing peanut allergy and prevent 600,000 cases over 10 years,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Gideon Lack, professor of pediatric allergy at King’s College London.

People who suffer from eczema, a skin condition that causes dry and itchy patches of skin, have a higher risk of peanut allergies, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“In order to prevent peanut allergy effectively in the whole population, consumption of peanut-containing foods should be encouraged universally in the whole infant population,” Lack told Fox.

Researchers from King’s College London, the University of Southampton and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research analyzed data from various studies assessing peanut allergy risk factors in babies.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US also revealed similar findings last year, noting that peanut allergy can be “prevented by introducing peanut-containing foods into the diet early in life.”

NIAID researchers conducted a clinical trial with 600 infants who are at high risk of developing peanut allergy because they had severe eczema, egg allergy or both.

The trial randomly divided the infants into two groups.

One group consumed peanut-containing foods daily and the other group avoided peanut-containing foods.

The children’s parents committed to the study until the kids turned 5 years old.

Scientists noticed that kids who consumed peanut-containing foods earlier in life reduced the risk of peanut allergy by 81%.

“In real terms, 75,000 new infants in the US develop peanut allergies every year — that’s 750,000 new cases in 10 years,” Lack stated.

Scientists encourage parents to incorporate peanuts into an infant’s diet at 4 to 6 months. 

However, it is advised to speak with your infant’s health-care provider first if your child has eczema, an egg allergy or both.

The best way to test the method is to “mix two teaspoons of peanut butter with a couple of tablespoons of warm water, breast milk or formula to create a smooth texture for a baby,” Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietitian shared with Fox.

Another alternative is softening peanut puffs with breast milk, water or puréed fruit.

“It’s better to catch the allergy earlier … The older a baby is, the more severe the reaction will be when the allergy shows up,” continued Lack.

Children who do not have an egg allergy or eczema can introduce peanuts into their diet without too much concern, according to the NIAID.

Peter Marks, the head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, noted that “approximately 1 million children in the US have a peanut allergy.”

“Only 1 out of 5 of these children will outgrow their allergy,” Marks added. “Allergic individuals must strictly avoid exposure to prevent severe and potentially life-threatening reactions.”

In recent years, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Palforzia, the first drug to treat life-threatening peanut allergies in children.

The drug does not cure the allergy, but it does help increase their tolerance to small quantities of peanuts and decrease the risks associated with an accidental exposure.