Children could have a lower risk of developing a peanut allergy if their mothers eat more nuts in pregnancy, researchers claim.
Their study adds to growing evidence that eating nuts while expecting a baby has no damaging effect on the unborn child.
Those with peanut allergies can develop breathing problems if they eat or come into contact with nuts. The most severely affected are at risk of life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Mothers-to-be were previously advised to avoid peanuts, especially if there was a history of allergies such as eczema or asthma in the family, for fear of the baby developing a sensitivity to nuts. One in seven who are sensitive go on to develop allergies.
But now doctors see little harm in peanuts and other nuts, unless the mother herself already has an allergy. In the latest study, researchers looked at data held on 8,205 children
The findings showed children whose mothers ate peanuts or other nuts five times a week or more had the lowest risk of developing an allergy.
However, this benefit was not found among children of those who had a nut allergy, according to the study published in medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Study leader Dr Lindsay Frazier, of the Dana-Farber Children’s Cancer Center in Boston, said: ‘Our study supports the hypothesis that early allergen exposure increases the likelihood of tolerance and thereby lowers the risk of childhood food allergy.’
Dr Ruchi Gupta, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said the study showed that women should not restrict their diets during pregnancy.
‘Certainly, women who are allergic to nuts should continue avoiding nuts,’ she said. ‘Pregnant women should not eliminate nuts from their diet as peanuts are a good source of protein and also provide folic acid, which could potentially prevent both neural tube defects and nut sensitisation.’
The number of British children allergic to peanuts has doubled in the past 20 years for reasons which remain unclear.
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