Introducing Peanut in Infancy Reduces Peanut Allergy Risk by 71% in Adolescence
A recent study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has found that feeding children peanut products regularly from infancy to age 5 can reduce the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%. This protection against peanut allergy lasts into adolescence, regardless of how often children consume peanut products in later childhood.
The study, known as the LEAP-Trio study, followed participants from the original Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) clinical trial. During the LEAP trial, half of the children regularly consumed peanut products from infancy to age 5, while the other half avoided peanuts. The results showed that early introduction of peanut products reduced the risk of peanut allergy at age 5 by 81%.
In the LEAP-Trio study, researchers found that the protective effect of early peanut consumption lasted into adolescence, even if children were not consistent in their consumption of peanuts throughout childhood and early adolescence. The study enrolled 508 participants, with 80% of the original LEAP trial participants included.
The findings of the study provide conclusive evidence that early allergen consumption can prevent peanut allergy in the long term. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to follow established guidelines for introducing peanut products to young children to provide lasting protection from peanut allergy.
For more information on how to safely introduce peanut into an infant’s diet, consult the Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States.