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Gideon Lack, MD, Kings College, London, UK
Tolerance to peanut in high-risk children, 2006-
Known as the LEAP (for “Learning Early about Peanut Allergy”) Study, this is the first partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a private food allergy organization. Dr. Lack and his colleagues wish to determine whether or not exposure to peanuts early in life can prevent the development of peanut allergy. Currently, doctors advise parents to avoid feeding problem foods to infants who are at risk for developing food allergy. But some studies suggest that children who eat peanut snacks before they reach their first birthday actually may be protected against peanut allergy.
The researchers are studying 640 infants, aged 4-10 months old. Because these babies already have eczema or egg allergy (or both), they are at high risk for peanut allergy. The children are divided into two groups. One group will receive a peanut snack regularly for the first three years of life. The other will completely avoid peanuts. Both groups will be assessed for peanut allergy when they are five years old.
The study has generated considerable interest and support from the public and the medical community. In a recent government review on allergy services in the UK, the House of Lords noted: “It is imperative that work is carried out to investigate whether peanut consumption or avoidance in early life significantly affects a child's risk of developing peanut allergy. We therefore support the work of the Learning Early about Peanut Allergy (LEAP) Study.”
In addition to determining whether the current clinical guidelines are correct, this study, conducted in collaboration with Drs. Hugh Sampson (Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY) and Steve Durham (Imperial College, London) will provide important data about the underlying causes of food allergy, which could lead to new treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Publications
Dr. Lack is a co-author of an article titled "Early consumption of peanuts in infancy is associated with a low prevalence of peanut allergy," published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Volume 122, Number 5). The study, led by George du Toit, FRCPCH (King's College, London) found that Jewish schoolchildren in the UK have a much higher prevalence of peanut allergy than their Israeli counterparts. When the research team analyzed the diet of infants from both countries, they found that peanut is introduced earlier, and eaten more frequently and in larger quantities, in Israeli infants than those in the UK. Although further studies are needed, these findings raise the question of whether early introduction of peanuts, rather than avoidance, is a better strategy for the prevention of peanut allergy.
Read the scientific abstract from the NIH's PubMed database.