US Study: Infant Peanut Allergies Decline

Infant peanut allergy diagnoses in the US have seen a significant decline, deviating from a long-standing increase. This encouraging trend appears linked to a 2015 change in guidelines that recommended introducing peanuts early to infants considered at high risk for allergies. Studies involving nearly 87,000 children tracked the allergy incidence before and after these guideline shifts.

The research revealed a decrease in peanut allergy rates from nearly 0.8% to 0.5% in infants after the new recommendations were adopted. These findings echo prior UK research highlighting that early peanut exposure before age five is associated with a lower likelihood of developing this allergy.

While these developments offer hope, experts note that much remains unknown about the precise mechanisms and optimal timing for inducing oral tolerance. Questions persist regarding why certain infants are more susceptible to food allergies and the factors contributing to allergy development in adolescence and adulthood.