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Early Peanut Introduction Cuts Childhood Allergy Risk by Nearly Half

  • Leslie Andrachuk

    • Summary

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    Up to the 1990s, doctors generally advised parents to introduce potentially allergenic foods like peanuts during a baby’s infancy. But by the late 1990s and early 2000s, doctors shifted their advice. Many experts believed – incorrectly and with no scientific proof – that delaying nut exposure for several years would help prevent allergies.

    In response, parents were advised by doctors to avoid giving their children nuts until after age three for the 15 years between 2000 and 2015. Those of us who raised kids during that time remember it well — no peanut butter sandwiches in school lunches, no nut-based snacks, and if you spent time in a home with a child who had a peanut allergy, every product with even a trace of peanuts was not allowed in the house.

    Additionally, pregnant women were told to avoid peanuts and tree nuts while pregnant or nursing from 2000 to 2008 at which time this advice was reversed as it was based upon extremely limited scientific evidence.

    However, a new landmark study published this month has upended this widespread directive and offers encouraging evidence that advice to introduce peanuts to infants is making a measurable difference in reducing nut allergies, and even other food allergies.

    Actual Science: The LEAP Study

    In 2008, Dr. Gideon Lack, professor of pediatric allergy at King’s College London and his colleagues noticed a striking difference between babies in Israel and the UK: peanut allergies were about ten times more common among British infants. The key difference? Israeli babies typically ate peanut-containing foods during their first year of life, while in the UK (and the U.S. and Canada), peanut products were avoided for several years. This discovery led Dr. Lack to launch further research into how early peanut introduction might help prevent allergies.

    That research became the landmark LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) study, published in 2015. The study followed hundreds of infants at high risk for peanut allergy — those with severe eczema or egg allergy — and found something remarkable: babies who regularly ate peanut products starting between 4 and 11 months of age were about 80% less likely to develop a peanut allergy by age five compared to those who avoided peanuts altogether.

    The LEAP study fundamentally changed how experts think about food allergy prevention, shifting global guidelines toward early, safe introduction of peanut-containing foods in infancy rather than avoidance.

    Building on the LEAP study’s results, researchers have now looked at real-world data to see whether early peanut introduction has actually reduced allergy rates on a population level.

    Real-World Evidence: 2025 Study Findings

    Building on LEAP, a new 2025 study examined health records across the U.S. to see if early introduction guidelines were making a difference outside clinical trials. The results are striking:

    In other words, the real-world impact of early peanut introduction is substantial: tens of thousands of children may have avoided developing peanut allergies thanks to this preventive approach.

    “Our findings have relevance from those of us who treat patients to those caring for infants, and more awareness, education and advocacy could further increase the positive results we observed in this study,” said senior study author David Hill, MD, PhD, an attending physician with the Division of Allergy and Immunology. “Future studies could potentially explore specific feeding practices that help us better understand the timing, frequency and dose of foods that optimize protection against food allergies.”

    Watch Dr. Hill provide more details about the study and the results:

    Thousands of kids avoided peanut allergies by eating peanuts as babies

    Introducing Peanuts Early

    The guidelines focus on safety and timing:

    1. Check readiness for solids – Most infants are ready for complementary foods around 6 months (some guidelines allow as early as 4 months if developmentally ready).
    2. Use safe peanut forms – Smooth peanut butter thinned with breast milk, formula, or water, or peanut flour mixed into purees; never give whole peanuts due to choking risk.
    3. Introduce early and consistently – Regular exposure between 4–11 months appears to provide the most protection.
    4. High-risk infants – Parents with babies at risk for allergies should discuss introduction with a pediatrician or allergist; supervised introduction or testing may be recommended.
    5. Monitor for reactions – Watch for hives, swelling, vomiting, or breathing difficulties and seek medical care if they occur.

    The Science is Clear

    Peanut allergy is one of the most serious childhood food allergies, often leading to anaphylaxis and long-term dietary restrictions. A reduction in new cases means less stress for families, fewer emergency interventions, and improved quality of life for children.

    The 2025 data shows that prevention works. By introducing peanuts early and safely, we can dramatically reduce allergy risk, a public health win that parents, caregivers, and pediatricians can embrace. Canadian parents can apply these lessons too in consultation with a pediatrician or allergist, particularly for babies at higher risk.

    The science is strong; the real-world results are encouraging. This simple change could spare thousands of children and their caregivers the challenges of peanut allergy.

    ~ Read more from The Health Insider ~

    The information provided on TheHealthInsider.ca is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. TheHealthInsider.ca advises consulting a medical professional or healthcare provider when seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. To read about our editorial review process click here.

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