Giving babies smooth peanut butter and continuing its consumption until age five could provide lifelong protection against peanut allergy, according to researchers at King's College London. The study found that teenagers who ate peanut butter up to age five were 71% less likely to develop an allergy compared to those who avoided it.
The findings, published in NEJM Evidence, show that the protection persists even if children stop eating peanut after age five. The research involved 640 children at high risk of peanut allergy, half of whom consumed peanut butter regularly from four months to five years, while the other half avoided it. By adolescence, only 4% of the peanut-consuming group had developed an allergy, compared to 15% in the avoidance group.
Professor Gideon Lack, who led the study, said: "I'm delighted to see this protection continues into adolescence. We have good reason to believe it will last for the life of the individual." He added that this simple intervention could make peanut allergies "plummet" in future generations.
Parents are advised to introduce smooth peanut butter during weaning, once babies can sit up and coordinate their movements. The recommended amount is about one-and-a-half to two tablespoons per week, spread over three to four servings. Whole peanuts should be avoided in children under five due to choking risks.
The team estimates that 100,000 cases of peanut allergy could be prevented globally each year if this approach is adopted. The study was funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose director Dr Jeanne Marrazzo said the findings should reinforce parents' confidence in feeding peanut products to infants according to guidelines.
