How are peanuts helping kids fight food allergies? Experts say early feeding could protect thousands

Food allergies in children have dropped sharply in recent years, and experts believe a simple shift in parenting advice may be behind it — introducing peanuts early in infancy. A decade after scientists first proved that feeding peanut products to babies could prevent life-threatening allergies, new research now confirms the approach is paying off. A study published in the journal Pediatrics this week found that food allergy rates among children under the age of three fell significantly after national guidelines encouraged parents to feed babies peanuts and other allergenic foods from as early as four months.

Fewer children developing food allergies

Researchers analysed records from nearly 50 paediatric practices, covering data from more than 125,000 children. They found that overall