The LEAP study published in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the early introduction of peanuts into the diet of “high risk infants” can actually prevent peanut allergy occuring.
High risk infants were considered to be those who had severe eczema, egg allergy or both.
Due to the possibility of high risk infants actually having a peanut allergy at the time of first introduction, these infants first had a skin prick test to determine the risk of pre-existing allergy and then medically supervised introduction of peanuts.
Peanuts were introduced into their diet by way of ‘bamba’ peanut snacks three times per week until they were 5 years old.
At 5 years of age, 13.7% of the avoidance group and only 1.9% of the consumption group were allergic to peanuts;
Therefore, the evidence clearly showed a considerable reduction in the risk of peanut allergy developing amongst those high risk infants who introduced peanuts early into their diets.
Please note whole nuts should never be given to infants, but bamba peanut snacks soaked in milk or peanut butter are forms that can be given.
Please speak to your doctor before you introduce peanuts if you feel your infant falls into the high risk category as an assessment by an allergy specialist may well be warranted prior to their introduction. Skin prick testing and/or medically supervised feeding of the first dose of peanut may indeed be the safest approach.