Pregnancy Allergy Risk

Pregnancy Allergy Risk

A new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests that infants aged 3-15 months who are already allergic to milk or eggs may be at an increased risk of a peanut allergy if their mothers ingested peanuts while pregnant.

Dr. Scott Sicherer of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City stated, “Researchers in recent years have been uncertain about the role of peanut consumption during pregnancy on the risk of peanut allergy in infants. While our study does not definitively indicate that pregnant women should not eat peanut products during pregnancy, it highlights the need for further research in order make recommendations about dietary restrictions.”

The study included 503 infants from the United States. Of those 503, 140 had a strong sensitivity to peanuts based on blood tests. Peanut consumption during pregnancy was a significant predictor of this test result.

This study comes on the heels of a recent retraction in the United States regarding when parents should introduce peanuts into their child’s diet. Experts now recommend waiting to introduce peanuts in a young child’s diet only if there is a history of food allergy within the family as there is no clear evidence that early peanut introduction causes allergies or that delaying peanut introduction prevents allergies.

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