Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy

Year Published: 2015

Journal

New England Journal of Medicine

Authors

George Du Toit, M.B., B.Ch., Graham Roberts, D.M., Peter H. Sayre, M.D., Ph.D., Henry T. Bahnson, M.P.H., Suzana Radulovic, M.D., Alexandra F. Santos, M.D., Helen A. Brough, M.B., B.S., Deborah Phippard, Ph.D., Monica Basting, M.A., Mary Feeney, M.Sc., R.D., Victor Turcanu, M.D., Ph.D., Michelle L. Sever, M.S.P.H., Ph.D., Margarita Gomez Lorenzo, M.D., Marshall Plaut, M.D., and Gideon Lack, M.B., B.Ch. et al., for the LEAP Study Team"

Methods

Authors randomly assigned 640 infants with severe eczema, egg allergy, or both to consume or avoid peanuts until 60 months of age. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with peanut allergy at 60 months of age in each group.

Key Findings

Key Findings: Infants who consumed peanuts had a significantly lower occurrence of a peanut allergy than those who didn't. Also, "peanut consumption was associated with an 86% reduction in peanut allergy at 60 months of age among participants who had negative results on a peanut-based skin-prick test at study entry and with a 70% reduction among those who had positive test results at study entry."