A decade after researchers first showed that introducing peanuts early could help prevent allergies, the strategy appears to be paying off. A new analysis from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that food allergy diagnoses among U.S. children have declined since expert guidelines encouraged parents to introduce peanuts and other potential allergens to infants as early as 4 to 6 months of age.
The study, published in Pediatrics, tracked data from thousands of children across multiple states through the American Academy of Pediatrics’ electronic health record network. Researchers found that rates of peanut allergy dropped from 0.79% to 0.45%, while overall IgE-mediated food allergies, the type that can cause anaphylaxis, declined from 1.46% to 0.93%.
“Everyone has been wondering whether these landmark public health interventions have had an impact on reducing rates of IgE-mediated food allergies in the United States,” said Dr. Stanislaw Gabryszewski, first author and attending physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We now have data that suggest that the effect of this landmark public health intervention is occurring.”
The early introduction approach stems from the landmark 2015 LEAP trial, which showed that feeding small amounts of peanut to infants with eczema or egg allergies reduced the risk of developing peanut allergy by 81%. Based on that research, pediatric groups issued new guidelines recommending early introduction of peanuts, and later, other allergens, as part of normal infant feeding.
Although early exposure doesn’t eliminate allergies entirely, the latest results suggest it’s making a real difference.
“Our findings have relevance from those of us who treat patients to those caring for infants,” said Dr. David Hill, senior study author and attending physician in CHOP’s Division of Allergy and Immunology. “More awareness, education and advocacy could further increase the positive results we observed in this study.”
The researchers estimate that for about every 200 infants introduced to allergens early, one case of food allergy may be prevented, an encouraging sign that public health recommendations are helping protect children.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Food Allergy Fund, the Hartwell Foundation, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, with additional infrastructure funding from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.