Peanut allergies are a big problem for many kids and their families, but new guidelines published could help protect high-risk tots and other youngsters, too, from developing the dangerous food allergy.
Feeding infants peanut butter when they are as young as four to six months old might prevent them from developing peanut allergies, according to research released from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The new guidelines from the National Institutes of Health mark a change from past recommendations, which urged parents to delay giving children foods containing peanuts in their first few years.
Peanut allergies can cause hives, rashes, breathing problems and in the most severe cases, can even be fatal.
“New studies that have been coming out of the last year or so suggest that that's the opposite of what we need to do,” said Dr. Stacy Silvers, pediatric allergist at Medical City Children’s.
Silvers has been giving doses of peanut protein to severely allergic children as part of his peanut oral immunotherapy program.
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“Getting peanut into their diet has been nothing but a good thing. In fact, a study done last year found early introduction can decrease risk of peanut allergy by 80 percent,” said Silvers.
One key here is knowing your child’s risk for developing a peanut allergy, as children with the highest risk have eczema and/or an egg allergy.
A doctor or an allergist can test your child for peanut sensitivity. The number of American children allergic to peanuts has risen dramatically in recent decade, but the new guidelines may give new hope that allergy can be avoided.
The guidelines recommend:
- All babies should try other solid foods before peanut-containing ones, to be sure they're developmentally ready.
- High-risk babies should have peanut-containing foods introduced as early as 4 to 6 months after a check-up to tell if they should have the first taste in the doctor's office, or if it's OK to try at home with a parent watching for any reactions.
- Moderate risk babies have milder eczema, typically treated with over-the-counter creams. They should start peanut-based foods around 6 months, at home.
- Most babies are low risk, and parents can introduce peanut-based foods along with other solids, usually around 6 months.
- Building tolerance requires making peanut-based foods part of the regular diet, about three times a week.
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What's the evidence? First, researchers noticed a 10-fold higher rate of peanut allergy among Jewish children in Britain, who aren't fed peanut products during infancy, compared to those in Israel where peanut-based foods are common starting around age 7 months.
Then in 2015, an NIH-funded study of 600 babies put that theory to the test, assigning them either to avoid or regularly eat age-appropriate peanut products. By age 5, only 2 percent of peanut eaters — and 11 percent of those at highest risk — had become allergic. Among peanut avoiders, 14 percent had become allergic, and 35 percent of those at highest risk.
Whether the dietary change will spur a drop in U.S. peanut allergies depends on how many parents heed the new advice — and if a parent seems skeptical, the guidelines urge doctors to follow up.
NBC 5's Bianca Castro contributed to this report.
