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Food hypersensitivity

Reversing the Trend: New Study Finds Sharply Reduced Food Allergies in Children after Introduction of Peanuts

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A landmark trial in 2015 found that feeding peanuts to babies could cut their chances of developing an allergy by over 80 percent, leading to a reversal of the longstanding guidance to avoid peanuts. Following the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' formal recommendation in 2017, the introduction of peanuts to infants has led to a significant decline in food allergies among children under 3. According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, food allergy rates in this age group dropped from 1.46 percent between 2012 and 2015 to 0.93 percent between 2017 and 2020, representing a 36 percent reduction.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found a 43 percent drop in peanut allergies among children under 3 after the introduction of peanuts in infancy, driven by a 36 percent reduction in all food allergies.
  • The latest national guidelines, established in 2021, recommend introducing common food allergens to all infants four to six months of age.
  • Early introduction to the nine commonly allergenic foods a couple of times a week, such as a pea-sized smear of peanut butter or a small bite of scrambled eggs, can help train an infant's immune system.
  • The study followed 125,000 children across nearly 50 pediatric practices and found a rate of allergy reduction that corresponded to about 57,000 fewer children with food allergies.
  • The study did not examine what infants ate, so it does not show that the guidelines caused the decline, but the data is promising.
  • Experts say more research is needed to assess the impact of early-introduction guidelines on food allergy rates, particularly in older children and adolescents.
  • A recent clinical trial suggested that pediatricians recommended early peanut introduction to only 10 percent of high-risk infants, and Dr. Bracho-Sanchez attributes this to limited awareness of the guidelines and time constraints of pediatric visits.

Statistics:

  • Food allergy rates in children under 3 dropped from 1.46 percent between 2012 and 2015 to 0.93 percent between 2017 and 2020 (36 percent reduction).
  • Peanut allergy rates dropped by 43 percent among children under 3.
  • The study followed 125,000 children across nearly 50 pediatric practices.
  • The rate of allergy reduction in this study corresponded to about 57,000 fewer children with food allergies.
  • Only about 17 percent of caregivers reported giving their infants peanuts before they were 7 months old, according to a 2021 survey.
  • Pediatricians recommended early peanut introduction to only 10 percent of high-risk infants and to 35 percent of low-risk infants, according to a recent clinical trial.

Sources:

  • Pediatrics, "Food Allergy Rates in Children Under 3 Declined After Introduction of Peanuts in Infancy"
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy"
  • Journal of the American Medical Association, "Peanut Introduction in Infancy and the Risk of Food Allergy"
  • New York Times, "Peanut Allergies Decline Sharply in Young Children After Introduction of Peanuts in Infancy"
  • University of Utah Health, "Food Allergies in Children and Teenagers"
  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center, "Pediatric Allergy and Immunology"

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