
Early exposure 'cuts peanut allergy' by over 80% - k-mcgrady
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31550816
======
Udo
Something's still missing. Peanut allergies seem to be very common in the US,
but almost unheard-of in the EU. Yet, I would say the US is the country with
way more peanut products and more peanut exposure. In northern Europe (my main
experience is Germany), peanut butter has made the mass market only relatively
recently (I'd say about 20 years max), while before most peanuts were being
consumed by adults in the form of salted nuts as a late-evening snack. Compare
that to the US where peanut butter has been a staple food ingredient since at
least the sixties.

~~~
ghshephard
Entirely possible that Parent in the United States are paranoid over what they
feed their children, and have been given strict guidance by their
pediatricians to not feed peanuts prior to age three under threat of being a
"Bad Parent."

~~~
Clanan
I've also heard a theory that U.S. federal assistance to mothers gave lots of
peanut butter, possibly leading to more allergies. I can't find the reference,
though.

~~~
freehunter
Giving more peanut butter to people might discover an existing allergy, but I
was under the impression that more exposure to allergens lowers the risk of
the immune response to the allergen. That's the idea behind allergy shots.

I'm not a doctor, though, so some clarification on that would be helpful from
anyone who knows more than I do.

------
ars
> The research team in London had previously found that Jewish children in
> Israel who started eating peanuts earlier in life

If you wonder why Israel specifically, it's because of the food called Bamba
which is very very popular there.

They compared with Jews in the UK, who were otherwise similar except, no
Bamba.

~~~
robzyb
I'm Jewish, and I grew up in Australia, and I never got to eat bamba with my
friends as a child because of my peanut allergy.

------
robertfw
I wonder if this is part of a feedback loop, where the gradual creation of
peanut-free areas leads to more severe peanut allergies

------
TTPrograms
Original paper:
[http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850)

------
alaithea
This all seems to come down to a couple of factors, namely the hygiene
hypothesis and the gut microbiome. I suspect that many of the dietary changes
which several posters have mentioned as having helped their allergies may have
in fact just allowed them to develop a healthier gut microbiome. Overuse of
antibiotics, especially amongst the very young, necessarily plays into this,
as well.

[http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/08/gut-microbe-
stops...](http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/08/gut-microbe-stops-food-
allergies)

------
skywhopper
They specifically excluded any kids who already showed signs of severe peanut
allergy, so I think this has to be taken with a grain of salt.

~~~
frandroid
They don't claim to have reduced allergies from people showing signs of severe
allergies. The control group and the experimental group were of the same
composition. They claim to have reduced the development of allergies for
people who were at risk.

------
k-mcgrady
I wonder how this would influence approaches to other allergies (a similar
'cure' for hay fever would make a huge difference to my quality of life from
May-Sept each year).

~~~
bequanna
Purely anecdotal, but I used to have terrible allergies (dander, pollen, dust,
etc.) for ~25 years.

The past few years living with my wife has changed my diet significantly. Very
little dairy, way less sugar, no soda, more vegetables, better meat ...and so
on.

My allergies are now almost nonexistent. I have friends with cats that I
couldn't visit because of my allergies. Now, absolutely no problems when I'm
in their homes.

I don't know what your current diet is like, but it may benefit you to remove
certain items for a while (at least several months) and see if that helps.

~~~
shocks
Another allergy anecdote - I used to be alergic to cats, then I got a cat, and
now I'm not allergic to cats!

~~~
silencio
My anecdote: similar to you, but still allergic to cats. I have asthma attacks
in the middle of the night if she curls up on my pillow, I have antihistamine
eyedrops at hand, and not even my ADHD-brain dares to forget to take meds.

I've moved and gone on various diets and nothing really did anything. I give
myself another year or two before I look into allergy shots (at the moment,
trying to get pregnant and my allergist refuses to start them). It's rather
frustrating, but oh well.

~~~
shocks
What kind of cat do you? Mine a persian with long hair and I groom him every
day (10 minutes with a metal comb) so he leave less furr around the flat.

The bedroom is the only room he's not allowed, although sometimes he does
manage to sneak in. On those occasions I'll probably change the bedding just
to be safe.

I have an okay diet, but nothing special.

------
rikkus
Reported on the (BBC) radio news this morning, but without the warnings in the
web article, which say 'don't try this at home' and that kids under 5
shouldn't be given whole nuts as they're a choking hazard (yes we can guess
that, but people sometimes don't).

