Rates of peanut allergy among young children have dropped by 43% in recent years, according to a study from the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) published in Pediatrics. The decline is linked to the early introduction of peanut products, an approach recommended since 2017 by guidelines from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). These guidelines were based on findings from the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study.
Researchers at CHOP analyzed electronic health records from over 120,000 children. Their findings support that introducing small amounts of potential allergens like peanuts early in infancy can help train a child’s immune system to tolerate these foods.
The CHOP study also reported a 36% reduction in all new cases of food allergies—including milk, egg, and tree nuts—after families began following early introduction recommendations.
“These study results are very promising. They show that as more parents adopt these early introduction practices, it’s less likely their children will develop serious food allergies later in childhood,” said Dr. Cherie Zachary, president of ACAAI. “The early food introduction approach can also help parents address other potential food allergies including eggs, which have now become the most common food allergy among children since the decline of peanut allergy.”
For infants with severe eczema or existing egg allergy—considered high risk for peanut allergy—the guidelines recommend introducing peanut products under medical supervision after consulting an allergist. Testing for peanut allergy may be performed before trying peanut-containing foods for the first time at a doctor’s office.
“If your child is at high risk for allergy, trying the peanut product at the specialist’s office first is the safest way to introduce the potential allergen to your infant, rather than trying it at home,” explained Zachary.
Moderate-risk infants with mild to moderate eczema who have started solid foods do not require an allergist evaluation; parents can introduce peanut-containing foods at home around six months old. Low-risk infants without eczema or egg allergy can also try peanut products once they are eating solids and are healthy.
Parents are advised not to give whole nuts to infants or toddlers due to choking risks. More information about introducing peanuts and managing allergies is available at ACAAI.org and AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org.
“The CHOP study makes it clear that these changes in food allergy prevention over the past several years are already making a huge difference for children and their families,” said Zachary. “Parents can now feel even more confident that early introduction is an effective way to reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy later in childhood.”
