Peanut allergies may be partially overcome through oral immunotherapy (OIT), the process of slightly increasing exposure over an extended period of time, a new study suggests.
Published in the journal The Lancet, the double-blind experiment started by randomly assigning 99 individuals between the ages of seven and 16 with varying severities of peanut allergy to begin receiving small doses of peanut protein or a placebo.
Over a six-month period, the amount of protein was gradually increased under medical supervision in order to determine at what point the child began experiencing an allergic reaction.
At the end of this period, 84 to 91 percent of the participants were able to safely tolerate a daily dose of 800 milligrams of peanut protein, or the equivalent of roughly five peanuts - at least 25 times more than they were able to ingest at the beginning of the trial. Moreover, 62 percent were able to tolerate a dose of 1400 mg.
And while none of them may be packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch any time soon, the difference is a significant one in terms of improving quality of life, the researchers said.
"Before treatment children and their parents would check every food label and avoiding eating out in restaurants," Dr. Andrew Clark of the school's Department of Medicine said in a statement. "Now most of the patients in the trial can safely eat at least five whole peanuts. The families involved in this study say that it has changed their lives dramatically."
According to the researchers, peanut allergy affects more than 10 million people around the world and is the most common cause of fatal food allergy reactions.
"This large study is the first of its kind in the world to have had such a positive outcome, and is an important advance in peanut allergy research," said Dr. Pamela Ewan.
"However," she added, "further studies in wider populations are needed."
OIT should only be performed by medical professionals and under specialized settings, the researchers note.
