- James Gallagher
- Health and Science Editor – BBC
Study: Giving children peanut butter reduced their allergies by 77%.
Scientists say that giving young babies – between the ages of 4 and 6 months – small portions of smooth peanut butter can significantly reduce a peanut allergy.
The scientists pointed out that the government’s advice on weaning – which calls for babies not to be given solid foods until about six months – needs to change.
Experts warn that whole or chopped nuts and peanuts increase choking hazards and should not be given to children under the age of five.
Current NHS guidance suggests that peanuts (powdered, ground or butter) can be introduced from around six months of age.
The child is ready to eat the first solid food if the following conditions are met:
The child should be able to stand still in a sitting position, and keep the head still.
That the child be able to control his eyes, hands and mouth and be able to look at his food and pick it up and put it in his mouth.
Being able to swallow food instead of spitting it out.
Why does food allergy occur?
Peanut allergy is on the rise in the UK, affecting 1 in 50 children.
A food allergy is caused by the immune system believing something harmless is a serious threat.
For some, even a small amount of peanuts can trigger an immune reaction so overwhelming it becomes life-threatening.
Peanut allergy has become so common that some schools ban it.
There has been longstanding advice to avoid allergenic foods during early childhood, and families were once told to avoid peanuts until the child reached the age of three.
However, the evidence over the past 15 years has turned that on its head.
Instead, eating peanuts while your immune system is developing — and developing the ability to tell friend from foe — can reduce allergic reactions, experts say.
It also means that the body’s first experience of peanuts is in the abdomen where it is more likely to be recognized as food, rather than on the skin where it is more likely to be perceived as a threat.
And in Israel, where peanut snacks are popular with youngsters, they have much lower allergy rates.
Other studies have suggested that introducing other foods associated with allergies — such as eggs, milk and wheat — also reduces early allergies.
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NHS guidelines suggest that peanuts can be introduced from around six months of age
And in the latest research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the best time to start introducing foods containing peanuts has been calculated.
The analysis was carried out by the University of Southampton, King’s College London and the research arm of the NHS – the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
They found that the critical period for onset was between four and six months, during which sensitivity could be reduced by 77%.
This is equivalent to preventing 10,000 of the 13,000 cases of peanut allergy each year.
According to research, delaying the introduction of foods containing peanuts until a child is one year old can only reduce allergy cases by 33%.
For babies with eczema, which is a risk factor for allergies, researchers recommend starting at four months of age — as long as baby is ready.
They say parents should start by offering small amounts of fruit or vegetables.
Then, when the child is comfortable, about three heaping teaspoons of peanut butter should be offered per week and kept for years. Peanut butter, which can be very dry, can be given with breast milk.
Professor Graham Roberts, of the University of Southampton, said decades of advice to avoid peanuts had “understandably led to parents being afraid” of giving children peanuts, and the rule change had led to a great deal of confusion from within medicine and from parents.
Nevertheless, Roberts said this is a “simple, low-cost, and safe intervention that will yield significant benefits for future generations.”
The official advice is to start introducing solid foods along with milk at around six months of age, and the government has launched a Just in Time Weaning campaign because parents start early.
