Early Exposure to Peanusts May Prevent Allergy (or: Over-Protective Parents Cause Peanut Allergies?)

Reuters ^ | November 7, 2008 | Reuters

[WayneLusvardi]

NEW YORK - Contrary to widespread recommendations, the consumption of peanuts in infancy is associated with a low prevalence of peanut allergy, the results of a new study suggest.

"Our study findings raise the question of whether early introduction rather than avoidance of peanut in infancy is the better strategy for the prevention of peanut allergy," write researchers in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

See link for full article.

[WayneLusvardi]

Here is another report confirming the study above - excerpted from Volokh Conspiracy website, Nov.7, 2008:

[David Bernstein, November 11, 2008 at 12:26am] Trackbacks
News You Can Use—Peanut Allergies:

A new study of Jewish children in Israel and the UK suggests that early exposure to peanuts significantly reduces the risk of peanut allergy. What the article describing the study doesn’t say is that most Israeli infants are introduced to a peanut snack called “Bamba” as one of their first foods. We started giving Natalie Bamba at around eight months, contrary to our doctors’ recommendations. My wife said at the time, “I don’t care what the doctors here say. Where is the evidence that peanut allergies are caused by early exposure to peanuts? [There is none, just a theory.] We all ate Bamba as babies in Israel growing up, and I never even heard of peanut allergies until I moved to the U.S.”

[mountn man]

[OneWingedShark]

*gasp* - Can’t breathe...

[MiddleEarth]

I wonder if that “Bamba” product is less thick than peanut butter. Both peanut butter and especially peanuts are choking hazards for young kids.

[mountn man]

PigPen isn't in the picture. :)

[WayneLusvardi]

Bamba apparently is like a cheese puff.

From on-line ad for Bamba:
Taste: These are kind of strange. They’re shaped like Jax, sort of. When you first bite into one, there’s no taste at all, and after that, the puff compresses into something that has the consistency of and sort of tastes like peanut butter. If you like peanut butter, you’ll like these.
Aroma: Smells like peanuts

See this link:
http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=824

[swatbuznik]

Hahaha! I kind of knew this! I drove my sister-in-law nuts (total pun intention) when I’d let my one-year-old lick peanut off the knife. Oh, I can still see her screwed up face! Hahaha!! Oh, good times.

[perfect stranger]

If you don't mind smelling like peanut butter for two or three days, peanut butter is darn good shaving cream.

-Barry Goldwater-

[Yaelle]

It may be something to do with some proteins — the worst allergies are due to fairly unusual protein sources. Like shellfish and peanuts (which are not nuts).

It may also have to do with the myriad of vaccinations given to tiny infants with new immune systems. That’s a massive experiment that may be having ghastly consequences on the last couple generations.

Birth defects affecting the reproductive systems are nearly epidemic. In nature this will happen to animals when their environments become polluted (frogs in a polluted streams, etc.).

These allergies are nothing to fool around with. We need to be a little more concerned about our food sources and what enters our bodies.

[mountn man]

I imagine chunky PB would make a good exfoliant.

But being a mountn man, I wouldn't know about such things. :)

[WayneLusvardi]

Did you ever eat a bag of peanuts and the next day you get a case of flu? It is because of the arginine in the nuts. You need to take Vitamin C with Quercetin to combat this.

Also nuts have been known in older people to trigger shingles for similar reasons.

[aruanan]

It is because of the arginine in the nuts. You need to take Vitamin C with Quercetin to combat this.

Arginine is an amino acid synthesized by the older than infant human body. If the infant doesn't get enough arginine, its health and development are compromised. It promotes wound healing, immune function, reduces risk of heart disease, and a bunch of other stuff. It is not something you want to go short on.

[09Patriot]

I agree with this, Ijust told my wife our baby should eat peanut butter, she said she is too young, how is 8months old too young. I dont want my child sick of everything :p

[MiddleEarth]

Wow, strange. I’ll look into these. Thanks.

[Dianna]

Your parenthetical comment is hardly fair. Parents have been following the advice of their doctors. That doesn't make them over-protective.

After my older son had numerous ear infections, milk allergy, eczema and asthma, I decided to exclusively breastfeed my younger son for the first six months. The child is healthy as a horse and had none of the problems his brother had. It either worked or didn't-I can't say for sure.

But I was doing the best I knew to do for my baby, just like these parents.

[TigersEye]

peanut ping

[WayneLusvardi]

Dianna
You missed the question mark after my parenthetical comment (?). I was asking the question, not making a statement.

[pandoraou812]

Sassy still refuses to eat it & that's fine by me.