Peanut Allergy - HBN Show

Hope for Peanut Allergy

Nuts have been 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 is decidedly not high-brow, but it has long been a lunch box staple. The growing problem of severe peanut allergies is nothing to sneeze at. (Pun not planned.) These allergies can cause a life-threatening closing of airways. Avoiding peanuts has cramped Moms’ style in packing lunches. The sensitive can be sensitive that the mere opening of a bag of peanuts can put enough peanut essence into an airplane cabin that most airlines have stopped serving them. The big 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, but you likely have heard of only one.

The conventional wisdom preached by the 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 was no science to back 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 am happy to report that this story made the evening news. Of course, reporters did not mention that the prior abstinence advice may have been responsible for the sharp increase in peanut allergy. (The wrong 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. Other allergies and immune problems seem to be caused by children living in modern overly-sanitized surroundings. They are not exposed to normal environmental bacteria and traditional childhood diseases. So, their immune systems are not properly educated to differentiate between what is friendly and what is actually a serious threat deserving of life-long immune protection.
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 for life. 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 with gradually increased doses. A study (again from the UK but unrelated to the one above) tested children aged 7–16 years with a wide range of allergy severity. Roughly 62% were desensitized. (Immunotherapy is a medical procedure and not a safe do-it-yourself project.)

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, it has been 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. I cover this and slews of other benefits in my book, The Probiotic Cure: Harnessing the Power of Good Bacteria for Better Health.

Again, we learn that we should not always accept the “conventional wisdom” without question. 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 all decide to 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.