Study reveals peanut allergy breakthrough

Children who are allergic to peanuts can maintain tolerance with daily dose, experts discover.

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Researchers at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge have successfully completed the first ever peanut desensitisation programme for children. Peanut allergies affects one in 50 children in the UK, having an impact on their quality of life and food confidence. For this inaugural trial, immunity experts closely monitored the daily administration of small doses of peanut flour to a group of children over a period of six months with a view of training the patient's bodies to tolerate the peanut without causing a severe immune reaction.

Lead researcher Dr Andy Clark said: "Peanut allergy is common and unlike other childhood food allergies like cow's milk, it rarely goes away. For all our participants, a reaction could lead to life-threatening anaphylactic shock – but now we've got them to a point where they can safely eat at least ten whole peanuts.

"It's not a permanent cure, but as long as they go on taking a daily dose they should maintain their tolerance."

Previous studies have suggested that expectant mums who eat peanuts during pregnancy can help reduce their child's risk of developing an intolerance.