A recent study has revealed that introducing peanut-containing foods into an infant’s diet may significantly reduce the risk of developing peanut allergies. The research, conducted across 30 pediatric practices in Illinois, found that early exposure could decrease the likelihood of peanut allergies by as much as 80%.
Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, directed the study. We built it with data from over 18,000 children. Food allergies now impact an estimated 8% of children in the United States [6], underscoring the tremendous significance of these findings. Of these, peanut allergies only affect a little more than 2% of the young population.
Food allergies have hit record highs, especially since the late 1990s, when prevalence rates were just 0.4%. A 2015 retrospective study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology recorded the increase in allergies. Shortly after, a 2018 study in Pediatrics made it official, finding that 8% of U.S. kids now experience them.
Dr. Gupta stressed the need for early intervention and the need to provide parents the right guidance when introducing peanut products. The American Academy of Pediatrics has established specific guidelines based on the risk level of infants. Low-risk infants—those with no eczema or egg allergy—can be introduced to peanuts safely at age 6 months or older. Moderate-risk children with mild eczema should initiate this introduction around six months of age. High-risk infants with severe eczema or egg allergies should have a discussion with an allergist prior to starting any introduction.
Dr. Narula touched on the barriers pediatricians face during busy four- and six-month well visit. Yet this points to the importance of families getting simple and straightforward direction.
“Because pediatric visits at 4 and 6 months are so busy, this support is critical to ensure families receive clear guidance. Our hope is that these conversations will help parents feel confident introducing peanut products early. We want to reverse the trend of increasing food allergies in the U.S. through prevention,” – Dr. Ruchi Gupta
The research aimed to compare the effectiveness of various AEI educational interventions. Its aim was to increase pediatricians’ confidence and competence in delivering this important message. Dr. Narula identified a key challenge. Even with the 2017 guidelines promoting early introduction, only 20-30% of pediatricians stick to these recommendations all of the time.
“Even though this changed the guidelines since 2017, we still see about 20-30% of pediatricians only promoting this guidance about early exposure,” – Dr. Narula
The outcome exceeded all expectations! About 84% of families in the intervention group said they were given adequate guidance compared to just 35% in the control group. This proves beyond doubt that simple training can dramatically improve pediatricians’ communication skills on the subject of peanut allergies.
“This study looked at, ‘If we intervened in pediatric practices — video trainings, handouts to parents, education in the electronic medical record and reporting and also screenings for eczema — could we improve the counseling that they gave?’” – Dr. Narula
