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Good News For Those With Peanut Allergies — There Could Be a Way to Build Tolerance

Jan. 11, 2013 6:51am Liz Klimas

Study Finds Exposure to a Small Amount of Peanut Powder Daily Could Help Those With Allergies

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

Most people with peanut allergies steer clear of the legume, but a new study from the National Institute of Health is suggesting that patients could some day do just the opposite.

NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found that controlled “peanut therapy” can reduce the allergic response by teens and adults.

According to the study’s press release, subjects 12 to 37 years old first underwent a “food challenge” to measure how much peanut they could eat before an allergic reaction ensued. The participants then engaged in 44 weeks of peanut therapy, which involved exposure to a small amount of peanut powder daily. After the therapy, a second food challenge was conducted and participants were found able to consume 10 times more peanut powder than their initial test. After 68 weeks, participants could consume even more powder without an allergic reaction.

During therapy some mild itching in the mouth of some participants was reported, which lead the study authors to still consider the therapy safe.

Even with this exciting find, the researchers caution that such therapy should only be administered by trained professionals and should not be engaged in by those with peanut allergies on their own. More studies have to be done to evaluate effectiveness and safety.

The study was published in the “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology”.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

(H/T: Popular Science)

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Comments (19)

soybomb315_II
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:50pm
drinking raw milk at a young age instead of pasteurized milk is reported to significantly reduce allergies….it has even worked with older kids diagnosed with food allergies

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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on January 12, 2013 at 11:26am
  Duh!! The early emporrors and kings would ingest small ammounts of all known poisins to immunize themselves against enemies at almost every meal. Their “foodtaster” would die waybefore the king, who would get a mild feavor(maybe).
  
  Report this comment
michaelmoron
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 3:44pm
A majority of thse people are not allergic to REAL Peanuts !!!!

Nearly ALL of the peanuts we consume, came from seeds that were GENETICALLY MODIFIED IN LABRATORIES, mixing the DNA of Peanuts with things such as FISH and SPIDER DNA.

Buy Organic non-GMO peanuts, and you will be fine.

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irunamuk
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 1:17pm
My doctor has been doing it for years. He told me he has had children who couldn’t have any peanuts at all eventually tolerating eating a quarter of a peanut. Might not sound like much but for those who are extremely allergic it takes the fear out of “did one if the kids eat peanut butter and forget to wash his hands before he/she went to school?”

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banjarmon
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 1:16pm
Just a Question….
“Are allergies God’s way of weeding out inferior genes? “

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billrow
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 9:42am
This is nothing new. allergies have ben treated in this same manner for 50 years.

What is in an allergy shot? A little bit of the allergens to desensitize the immune system.

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- Bluebonnet
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 11:47am
  Most people and many of the doctors have no idea what it’s like to have severe allergies to most things. Just a whiff of strong, obnoxious perfumes almost brings me to my knees. That’s one of the reasons I quit going to church…….some women think perfumes substitute for a bath……..no!
  
  There is only one Dr. in this country who actually helps people with severe allergies. People come to him from all over the world. He’s Dr. William Rea in Dallas, Tx. And yes, most people this bad off have to take allergens to hopefully regulate allergies. Some get over it and some don’t. What I do know is some folks are very rude toward those who have this problem. It’s very serious and some have become hermits to avoid chemical smells that’s in everything and all over.
  
  Report this comment
SpankDaMonkey
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:40am
.
That is so old school. My grandmother cured my little sister’s shellfish allergies one summer 40yrs ago, by giving her a teaspoon of shrimp stock everyday……Copy Cats……….

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lel2007
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:22am
Peanut allergies are terrible things, and can cause death. The only sure way to protect our children (and adults) from this selective poison is a total ban on peanut production, import and sale. A peanut ban is a small price to pay for the well being of America’s citizenry, especially when it’s for the children. Besides, nobody needs a peanut.

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- broper
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:39am
  LEL2007 are you serious? No peanuts is your answer. How about bee sting alleries, which for some people are equally dangerous. Would you have us kill all the bees? Bees are vital to agriculture. Your baby with bath water answer is short-sighted. Millions of people eat peanut products and thousands earn their living with peanut production. You just read a hopeful article on how to protect people with a peanut allergy and your response – “no peanuts”. Harsh.
  
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- TROONORTH
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:49am
  Broper, I think you missed his point. This was a comedic take on the gun banning situation. He was just making a humorous point. At least I think he was. Dear God . .. .. … . .
  
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- DYNA
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:50am
  @lel2007
  
  Hey, I like your Ben hur movie icon.
  
  Up until recently, I have never heard of so many people with so many allergies.
  I’ll go with Mark 16:17-18
  “And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My Name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
  
  I like peanut butter!
  
  I will not be carnally minded and try and test God by doing things I do not want to do anyway.
  But I will keep satan from trying to kill, steal and destroy the abundant life that Jesus has already bought and paid for.
  
  Report this comment
- DYNA
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:55am
  @broper
  
  LEL2007 is just using the humor of sarcasm in relating peanuts to the stupidity of a liberals response to semi automatic guns.
  
  Report this comment
- crustycurmudgeon
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 10:21pm
  Good point, LEL2007. The issue isn’t whether one “needs” peanuts. Even bright and staunch advocates of gun rights fall for this trap and try to answer why they “need” semi-autos. It isn’t about “need.” The gun banners would have us believe that if we can’t prove we “need” our guns, they should be banned. Really? By that standard, shouldn’t we ban music, movies, and books? How about beds?
  
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Stu D. Baker-Hawk
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:01am
People with peanut allergies? WHO CARES??!!

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- Exrepublisheep
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:08am
  People with peanut allergies.
  
  Report this comment
- tradcatholicgirl
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:41am
  Between your viewpoint,Stu, and that of LEL2007, there must be a rational middle ground.
  
  If my kid had a severe allergy and could die from getting a small residue on his fingers, I might be more militant. But a complete ban? Get real.
  
  I’d rather put my kid through this therapy.
  
  And, Stu, lots of people have to care. If your kid is in a class all day with a severely allergic kid and you send your kid to school with something made of peanuts, the kid with the severe allergy could DIE.
  
  People do care. Entire elementary/middle schools have to work together to keep even one kid safe for the six or more years they attend. (That’s dietary staff, teachers, aides, and every single family whose kid brings stuff to eat to school.
  
  A risk is posed by even by kids who eat PB for breakfast and forget to wash their hands before school.
  
  Yeah, it gets that bad.
  
  Report this comment
- DadRocked
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:08am
  Stu and Traditional – If Stu literally meant ‘who cares’ of the allergy and serious, then shame on him.
  My take was ‘who cares’ about the repeated peanut scare articles.
  
  According to a search on bing.com, I searched Allergies that cause death and it returned 1,320,000 results. My read is that there is multiple articles about the same subject so let’s say 1/1000 of it is correct then there are 1,320 causes.
  
  Then at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation (http://www.aafa.org/search_process.cfm?id=3), it came up 69 results from outdoor insects (bee stings), Allergic Asthma – Air Filters, Allergic Asthma A-to-Z, Corticosteroids, Flu (Influenza), Over-the-Counter Medications, Tobacco Smoke, Eye – Corticosteroids, Chemical Sensitivities, Food Additives, Food, Seafood, Air Filters and many more.
  
  No pun intended, and no ill will meant, but these articles can be ‘over-kill’.
  IMHO
  
  Report this comment
- Melika
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:37am
  @ TradCatholicGirl: Wait a second, let’s talk a little reality here. First, allergies of all kinds are very common and have the potential to be fatal. They are also varied in nature (as in, peanuts aren’t the only things people are allergic to).
  Second, getting “a small residue” of peanuts on a allergy sufferer and it causing death is extremely rare and highly unlikely. If someone is that allergic to ANY substance, they shouldn’t be in a public school setting. Not because I’m mean, but simply because they have a very serious health condition that limits their ability to be in a public setting like that. Reality dictates what we can and can’t do – you can blame God for not making us all the same.
  Third, the Peanut Allergy Moms have waged a successful war against a common, cheaply available, and very healthy American food, but we never hear about banning cats or any other allergen that can cause death. Should we now ban cat ownership if you have a child in school? What about dogs, other animals, dust, grass, & weeds? Maybe we should completely pave 1000 yds around all schools to cover those allergies and demand that other families be “considerate” to all the other children with allergies by not owning or possessing ANYTHING that might cause an allergic reaction. Of course, that would mean living in a bubble, but its for the children, isn’t it?
  
  Report this comment

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