New research indicates early introduction of peanuts into the diet of infants at high risk of peanut allergy can play a role in the prevention of peanut allergies.
European and U.S. physicians are developing formal guidelines for early-life feeding practices, but 10 medical organizations—including the American Academy of Pediatrics—now recommend introducing products containing peanuts into the diets of high-risk infants between the ages 4 and 11 months.
Because there is a risk that such infants could already be peanut allergic, interim guidelines suggest that infants already experiencing signs of allergic disease—such as severe eczema—first be evaluated by an allergist. Allergy testing, and possibly an observation of peanut ingestion, may be the safest course.
