
Early and gradual exposure to peanuts under medical supervision curbed infants’ allergies, according to a new study. While researchers had seen that peanut oral immunotherapy was well tolerated by toddlers, this research focused on an even younger age group. “We’ve seen how peanut oral immunotherapy is well-tolerated in toddlers, but there is limited real-world evidence available to demonstrate the benefits in babies,” said Dr. Sandra Hong, director of the Food Allergy Center of Excellence at the Cleveland Clinic. “We leveraged data from infants in our program to better understand the safety and efficacy of this treatment in children 12 months and younger.” The clinic’s Food Allergy Center of Excellence offers oral immunotherapy for babies, toddlers and young children who are allergic to peanuts. There, children under age 4 eat tiny amounts of peanuts in a step-by-step, controlled process. This study enrolled 22 infants between 7 and 11 months old. With an allergist and parent, the babies started on a daily dose of 18 milligrams of peanut protein in the form of peanut butter or peanut powder. That’s roughly twice the weight of a grain of table salt. Over six months, they were slowly given larger servings to consume until they reached a maintenance dose of 500 milligrams, the equivalent of two peanut kernels. Each of the 22 babies reached this milestone. More than half experienced… read on > read on >