Dr. Curt ChaffinQ: When should I introduce peanuts into my infant’s diet?
A: The incidence of peanut allergy in the U.S. has increased drastically over the last decade and remains a major concern to parents, teachers and others who care for our children. Given the fact that 100 to 200 deaths in the U.S. are due to food allergy, the fear of possible severe and sometimes deadly reactions is a realistic concern. A recent study shows that introducing peanuts early in childhood could prevent children from developing a peanut allergy and has led the National Institutes of Health to release new guidelines on peanut introduction in childhood. For years, pediatricians told parents to wait until a child reached at least 1 year old or later before feeding them any peanut products. The new guidelines provide timeframes on when to give children peanuts based on their food-allergy risk level. The goal is to have those who are at high risk for developing a peanut allergy to add peanuts to their diet at four to six months of age after being tested to ensure that the child has no severe reaction.
– Dr. Curt Chaffin, The Allergy & Asthma Group of Galen; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society