Some children fed small doses of peanut protein built up tolerance
Pediatric allergists in the U.S. revealed a new study in which a small group of children with peanut allergies overcame their sensitivities by being given minute doses of the nut over time. In a study by doctors from the Duke University Medical Center and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute—nine children with peanut-allergies were given 1/1,000th of a peanut and eventually worked their way up. After two and a half years, five of the nine children overcame several food challenges without incident, and appear to have lost their allergies altogether. Though the study was small, the researchers plan to expand it by involving more children and stress that parents shouldn’t attempt this dangerous experiment at home since the trials are preliminary.