Study starts small to build peanut tolerance

William Atkins
Monday, 16 March 2009 18:05

Science - Health

Specifically, only nine children completed the treatment over a two-one-half year period. Of those nine children, five of them were able to eventually eat peanuts and peanut butter on a daily basis without allergic consequences.

Dr. Burke commented, "They're eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They're not having allergic reactions and we really anticipate [the immunity] will last for the rest of their lives." [ABC News: “Could Peanut Allergy Fix Be More Peanuts?"]
 
The Burks team reported their conclusions at the March 15, 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), which was held from March 13-17, 2009, at Washington, D.C., U,S.A.


The Science News article “Gradual Treatment of Peanut Allergies Shows Promise” states “The two teams have begun a second allergy study in which five children receive this gradual peanut treatment and five others get a placebo. After one year, early results show protection in the treated children. This study is needed to help determine whether the strategy works.”

The article implies that the results are preliminary in nature and further, more comprehensive scientifically-controlled studies are necessary to validate the conclusions.

However, the results are said to be promising for controlling and treating peanut allergies in children. The Science News article stated that such treatments are still at least ten years away.

It should be again emphasized that such treatments should ONLY be performed by professionally trained peanut-allergy researchers and not by the general public or even by family doctors and other medical professionals.