Early peanut exposure can reduce likelihood of allergy
In many at-risk infants, avoidance isn’t the best strategy, study finds
By Nathan Seppa
HOUSTON — Infants getting small but regular doses of peanut butter in their diet are less likely to develop an allergy to peanuts than similar babies who avoid peanuts altogether, a new study shows. The finding — in infants at higher-than-usual risk of peanut allergy — swings the balance of evidence in favor of early consumption and away from avoidance as a way to avert this troublesome food allergy.
The data call into question the notion that peanuts should be broadly avoided in infancy. In recent years, studies have hinted that early peanut consumption might be a better strategy to reduce the susceptibility to allergy.