Early consumption may prevent peanut allergy, new study suggests

Eating peanut products as a baby significantly reduces the risk of developing the allergy by 80% in high-risk infants, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests.

Peanuts are one of the leading causes of food allergy reaction and can be fatal.

An estimated 400,000 school-aged children in the United States have this allergy, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

So far, the research on the prevention of the peanut allergy is “without precedent,” according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Lee, who was not involved in the research, says the findings will have major implications on public health guidelines.

“The World Health Organization recommends that you avoid peanuts if you are allergic. Present results suggest the opposite…This means all the international guidelines would have to be revised,” says Lee.

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CNN