Peanut allergies have been on the rise for the last decade. In fact, peanut allergies have doubled in the past 10 years, for both the US and the UK, until we now have a full 2 per cent of the population avoiding this allergen.

Childhood is the normal time for peanut allergy to arise. Unlike other common childhood allergies, the allergy to peanuts is less likely to be outgrown; it also tends to be a more severe allergy that can cause anaphylactic shock. As a result, many schools and other institutions now recognize the seriousness of peanut allergies through peanut-free food policies.

With the growing understanding of the severity of peanut allergies and the increasing numbers of individuals dealing with them, avoiding this allergy is a high priority for parents of young children. It is doubly so if they have a family history of allergy.

Until recently, the best medical guidance was that pregnant and breast feeding moms should avoid eating peanuts in order to avoid early exposure and sensitization of their infants to this ubiquitous allergen. However, this common sense approach may now be turned on its head in light of new research.

A new study looking at the relationship of maternal peanut consumption to the future allergy status of the child compared youngsters from Israel with UK tots. What they found was astonishing: children in the UK had a higher incidence of peanut allergy than kids in Israel. According to researchers, after accounting for differences in social class, genetic background and allergic sensitization, the only factor which appeared to be responsible for the lower allergies in Israel appeared to be that peanut was introduced earlier to Israeli infants.

Israelis not only got peanuts at a younger age, but they also ate them in greater quantities than kids in the UK.

Researchers caution that these results do not constitute a recommendation to change the existing medical guidelines. The authors say that randomized trials should be done to investigate this apparent phenomena more closely.

Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology