March 6, 2015 general

Nuts in the news…peanuts that is (and never mind that they are technically beans). Planter’s Mr. Peanut logo looks very sophisticated and reminds us that peanuts contain nutrients that appear protective against heart trouble and other diseases. The PB and J sandwich which is decidedly not so high-brow, has long been a lunch box staple. The growing problem of severe peanut allergies is nothing to sneeze at. (Pun not intended and barely tolerated.) These allergies can cause a life-threatening closing of airways. Avoiding peanuts has cramped Moms’ style in packing lunches that their youngins wouldn’t be looking to trade. The sensitive are so, well, sensitive that the mere opening of a bag of peanuts can put enough peanut essence into an airplane cabin to create a threat. The mystery has been why the incidence of allergy to peanuts has quadrupled. We may now have clues to three possible mechanisms regarding the cause of the phenomenon and/or potential solutions.

1.    The conventional wisdom preached by experts was to wait until babies were up to 3 years old before exposing them to peanuts. It was even hinted that mothers should avoid allergic foods during pregnancy. As it turns out, there really wasn’t science to back up those recommendations. A new study conducted in the UK and published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that introducing peanuts as early as 4 months of age reduced the risk of developing a peanut allergy by 80%. That was even among those with eczema or who were for other reasons deemed likely to become allergic to peanuts. I’m happy to report that this story made the evening news. Reporters did not mention that the prior abstinence advice may have been responsible for the sharp increase in peanut allergy. (Bad advice deserves more than an “oh well” because kids die from peanut allergy.) Parents should consult their pediatrician to make sure this idea is appropriate for their baby and double check the specific protocol. This reminds me of a similar situation. Children living in modern overly-sanitized surroundings seem to develop other allergies and immune problems. Because they are not exposed to normal environmental bacteria and traditional childhood diseases, their immune systems are not properly educated to differentiate what is actually a serious threat deserving of life-long immune protection and what is friendly.

2.    Hopefully we can keep babies from becoming allergic to peanuts, but what about the older kids? The conventional wisdom has been that once you have a peanut allergy you are stuck with it. However, a procedure used by progressive allergists called food immunotherapy seems to help. The practice starts with exposure to extremely small oral doses in highly controlled amounts and gradually increasing doses. Another study (unrelated, but again in the UK) tested children aged 7–16 years with a wide range of allergy severity. Roughly 62% were desensitized. (Immunotherapy is medical and not a do-it-yourself project.) This is quite similar to a folk remedy for inhalant allergies. It uses loose bee pollen granules available in health food stores and farmers’ markets. (Local pollen is more likely to address the specific pollen that is bothering a person.) The person eats one single tiny granule. Assuming that he or she does not react to that, the 2nd day dose is doubled to 2 granules. The amount eaten continues to double each day up to a teaspoonful.

3.    The conventional wisdom has been that our gut bacteria are unrelated to allergy. Interestingly, a third study (this one in Australia) provided subjects a gradually increasing daily dose of peanut for 18 months along with probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus). At the end of the study 89.7% receiving the treatment were desensitized compared to only 7.1% of those receiving a placebo. (Parents are cautioned not to try this without professional guidance because some subjects did experience serious reactions in the process.) More study is needed to clarify the role of the probiotic. However, many studies have shown that children given probiotics are less allergic in general while those given antibiotics are more allergic. The more deeply I investigate probiotics, the more impressed I am with how they help to educate our immune systems.

It is a relief to know that there may now be help for those who have dangerous reactions to even an accidental exposure to traces of peanut. But, before we go crazy with goobers, we should remember what Doug Kaufmann tells us: peanuts are a crop that is very frequently contaminated with mycotoxins made by molds during storage. And, perhaps we should not always accept the ‘conventional wisdom without question.