• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Peanut Allergies: Closer to a Cure

The UK Telegraph reported yesterday that doctors at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge may have found a “cure” for peanut allergies.

Four boys were given minute amounts of peanut flour mixed with yogurt every day. The amount ingested was then slowly increased over a period of six months.

Prior to the trials, when exposed to just a fraction of the peanut protein found in a single peanut, these boys displayed significant allergic reactions, requiring immediate treatment.  At trial’s end, however, all the children were able to eat between 10 and 12 peanuts.

To maintain their tolerance, the children will have to continue ingesting a small daily amount of peanut protein, either as peanut flour, smooth peanut butter, or five roasted peanuts.

It is imperative to note that these trials were conducted under close medical supervision, and that parents should not attempt to undertake their own or their children’s desensitization to peanut allergies.  Don’t try this at home, folks.

It is also important to note that this is not so much a cure, as an increase in tolerance.  It is unclear whether the children will have to continue their daily maintenance doses indefinitely to maintain their tolerance levels, or for how long the effect will last.  However, this study does indicate that is is possible to reduce sensitivity to peanut proteins through oral peanut immunotherapy, even in children whose allergies were severe. And that is cause for hope. 

Being able to tolerate up to 10 peanuts without adverse reactions would mean a huge breath of relief for peanut allergy sufferers and their parents.  It would be difficult for a child to accidentally ingest that much peanut protein.  While parents would still have to be vigilant, there wouldn’t be the same intense, constant fear of exposure.  Kids could broadly expand the variety in their diet, feel more free to try new foods, and not have to wonder if a school snack might put them into anaphylactic shock.  That’s a heavy burden for a child to bear.

A wider study is underway to see if these results can be replicated.

Photo Credit: tamburix under Creative Commons

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Class Action Lawsuit Seeks $200M For Lead Poisoning From D.C. Tap Water
Stimulus Package Gives Families $65 a Month Tax Break: Don't Spend It All In One Place »

Comments

  1. Heather Dunham says

    February 21, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    That’s fascinating if it pans out and stands up to further testing. It lends further credence to the theory that it’s a LACK of exposure to certain allergens that increases the likelihood of severe allergies rather than an over-exposure or too early exposure… And if it works for peanuts perhaps it will work for other allergies as well… This could — IF it pans out — really shed a ton of light on the biology of allergies.

    Reply
  2. Brenna says

    February 23, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    Very, very interesting. I was actually just reading about how gradually increasing exposure to dairy products can start to increase the tolerance for those with milk-protein allergies. Of course, most babies outgrow that one. I don’t think a lot of kids tend to outgrow a peanut allergy, but I suppose it is still the same basic idea.

    There has been so much talk on whether or not moms should eat peanuts while pregnant and breastfeeding. I wonder how that plays into this as well?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

More from the archives!

If you eat eggs, choose cage-free [infographic]

What The National Children’s Study Means To You

Should We Stop Eating Bananas to Save the Earth?

Children’s Literature: My Bag and Me!

Homemade Pregnant Belly Cast Makes Art of Expecting Mother's Body

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

wama hemp underwear

The Most Comfortable Underwear is Made of Hemp: WAMA Review

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

Eco Friendly Fingerpaints

Treat Bug Bites with Brittanie's Thyme Organic Bug Bite Relief

Cars Are Hurting Our Children: Air Pollution and Infant Health

No More Spitting in the Wind

Ditch the Plastic and Grab On the Go Bamboo Eating Utensils

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Resist through consumer power

Study: Lollipops May Prevent Tooth Decay

baseball gifts

Can Baseball be Eco-Friendly?

Five Ways to Green Your Obama Souvenirs

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.