Introducing peanut butter early can reduce the risk of peanut allergy by 77%

Introducing peanut products into the diet of babies aged 4 to 6 months can help reduce the risk of peanut allergy. Photo: Shutterstock

According to British researchers, introducing peanut products into the diet of children aged 4-6 months can help reduce the risk of peanut allergies by up to 77%.

Findings from the new analysis, led by Professor Graham Roberts from the University of Southampton, recommend that infants should be introduced to suitable peanut products when they are developmentally ready to start solid foods, from around four months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until at least six months of age.

For infants with eczema, 4 months after birth is the recommended time to start introducing peanut products, which is slightly earlier than the usual health guidelines for starting solid foods.

According to Singapore's Health Promotion Board, 6 months is the recommended age to start introducing complementary foods and solid foods other than milk, but it also advises parents to look out for signs of readiness in their children, in conjunction with medical advice.

Some signs that your baby is ready for solids include when he or she can sit up straight with his or her head held upright; when he or she shows interest in food by focusing on or reaching for solid foods; or when he or she can swallow, chew and not spit out food. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has similar recommendations.

“For decades, deliberate avoidance of peanuts has led to parents being understandably fearful of introducing peanuts to their children early on… This latest evidence suggests that implementing simple, low-cost, safe interventions across the entire population could be an effective preventive public health strategy that could have huge benefits for future generations,” said allergist Professor Roberts.

He acknowledged that infants can have adverse reactions to peanuts, but those are “minor” reactions, while serious reactions are almost rare.

“In our experience, babies usually have only mild reactions to peanuts. This may be a bump or an itchy rash. These tend to clear up quickly, and some antihistamines can help. More serious reactions involve breathing problems, but this is extremely rare in babies,” says Professor Roberts.

The study was based on data from 640 infants considered at high risk of peanut allergy from Evelina London Children's Hospital and more than 1,300 exclusively breastfed infants in England and Wales. These children were followed for several years to study the early introduction of six allergenic foods, including milk, peanuts, sesame, fish, eggs and wheat.

Children who are introduced to allergenic foods such as peanuts and eggs early have a higher chance of developing allergies than other children. Photo: Shutterstock

One of the authors of the original study, Dr Gideon Lack of King's College London, suggested that delaying the introduction of peanut products would reduce the risk of allergies in children. He found that waiting until 12 months to introduce peanut products would only reduce the risk of allergies by 33%, compared to 77% if introduced at 4-6 months.

“The benefits of introducing peanut products into a child’s diet diminish as the child gets older. This is especially evident in Israel, a culture where peanut products are often introduced early into the infant diet and peanut allergies are rare,” he said.

According to pediatric nutritionist Mary Feeney, feeding babies 4 months and older a spoonful of peanut butter 3 times a week is the recommended amount to reduce the chance of your child developing a peanut allergy.

In fact, peanut allergies are relatively low in Asian countries. For example, a 2020 study in the Asia- Pacific Journal of Allergy found that the rate was only about 0.1% to 0.3% of children aged 1 to 4 in Singapore. Meanwhile, about 2% of children in the UK have peanut allergies, and the rate is increasing, according to the NHS.

According to the Daily Mail, the number of people with peanut allergies has tripled in recent decades, and in severe cases can lead to death. This leaves people with peanut allergies with a lifelong concern about the ingredients in their daily food.

Another study previously found similar benefits for babies who were introduced to eggs at just four months of age, with results showing they were 46% less likely to develop allergies to related foods than older babies who were first introduced to the food.

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