Exposing babies to food products that contain peanuts reduces their chance of developing a potentially life-threatening peanut allergy by 81 percent, a clinical study conducted by the U.S. National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows. The results of the study have been published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a conference of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. The research team, headed by Professor Gideon Lack of King's College London, conducted the study in response to an observation that Jewish children living in Israel have low rates of sensitivity to peanuts compared to Jewish children living in Britain. The researchers explained that in Israel, children begin consuming food containing peanuts (such as the ubiquitous puff peanut snack Bamba) at a young age. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that the low rate of peanut allergies in Israel is the result of peanut consumption from an early age. The study took place from December 2006 through May 2009 and followed 600 infants from four to 11 months old who were deemed at high risk of developing a peanut allergy. The subjects were designated "high risk" due to existing allergies to eggs and/or eczema. The babies were divided into two groups. One group received at least 6 grams (0.2 ounces) of peanut protein in the form of Bamba or as peanut butter mixed in with their formula for those who did not like the snack. Babies in the control group were kept from consuming any peanut products at all. Throughout the study, the subjects were monitored by medical experts, and their parents were surveyed about the children's eating habits. According to the results, peanut allergies were reduced by 81 percent among the children who had eaten peanut products as babies. Only one percent of the children who had been exposed to peanuts developed a peanut allergy by age 5, compared to 17.5 percent of the children who ate no products containing peanuts. NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said that "food allergies are a growing concern, not just in the United States but around the world." "For a study to show a benefit of this magnitude in the prevention of peanut allergy is without precedent. The results have the potential to transform how we approach food allergy prevention," Fauci said.
