Millions of children worldwide are afflicted with a peanut allergy, and it prevents them from enjoying some of life’s greatest food pleasures. But scientists believe they have found a way to combat peanut allergy; with peanuts.
Researchers at the Cambridge University Hospitals conducted a study involving children with peanut allergies. For the study, the children were fed small but escalating amounts of peanut flour. Over time, it was found that the children were able to eat significant quantity of peanuts with no reaction.
Six months after the completion of the study, more than 80% of the children in the trial could safely eat the equivalent of five peanuts a day. This is significant due to the fact that this is at least 25 times the quantity of peanut protein they could tolerate before the study.
The study included 99 children, varying in age from 7 to 16, with varying severity of peanut allergy. Half of the children were randomly assigned to a treatment group. For 26 weeks, they received gradually escalating doses of peanut protein up to 800 milligrams a day.
While the results were promising, about a fifth of the children in the treatment group experienced side effects, with oral itching being the most common. Despite this, after six months of treatment, 62% of the participants in the treatment group could tolerate a daily dose equivalent to 10 peanuts.
While the researchers were optimistic about the findings, they stressed that it would be a while until the findings could be widely implemented. Immunotherapy could significantly help those afflicted with food allergies, but more research is required.
Evan Hopkins is a 24 year old writer operating out of Atlanta, GA. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys reading books, drinking coffee, and folk music.