Eating peanut during pregnancy benefits the baby. Women who eat peanuts during pregnancy reduce the chances of their children developing many health problems like asthma and allergies compared to those who never ate peanuts, researchers say.
The latest findings come as a contradiction to the popular belief that suggests pregnant women to avoid peanut products.
To examine the link between maternal diet and food allergy among children, Dr. Ekaterina Maslova and team interviewed 61,908 Danish mothers. Later the investigators compared the survey data with the children's medical records, the website opposing views reported.
At the end of their investigation, the researchers found the peanut and tree nut consumption during pregnancy cutting the baby's risk of developing allergies by 20 percent. At 18 months, only 15 percent of children of mothers who ate peanut during pregnancy developed allergies compared to 19 percent of children who didn't take peanuts during pregnancy.
According to the investigators, the antioxidants, fatty acids or vitamin E in nuts may be the key factor leading to the occurrence.
"There's some mixed data out there and this current study is showing that maybe there might be a benefit to your child in having less asthma later on if you continue to just eat the way you're still eating and not avoid (nuts)," Dr. Todd Mahr, a pediatric allergist who was not involved in the study told opposing views.com.
The findings come at a time when food allergies have emerged as one of the major health problems affecting children in the United States. According to Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), about 20 percent of Americans or one in every five adults and children have allergies.
Cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat are some common foods that bring in allergic reactions among children and adults.
Peanuts are one of the most common allergy-causing foods, according to Kids Health website. Peanuts are not originally nuts and belong to the family of peas and lentils. The proteins found in peanut are similar to that of tree nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and cashews. So those who are allergic to peanuts are more likely to be allergic to tree nuts.
The allergic reaction in the body results in the production of chemicals like histamine. According to the health experts, the chemical lead to a wide range of health issues like wheezing, trouble breathing, coughing, hoarseness, throat, tightness, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy, watery, or swollen eyes, hives, red spots, swelling, a drop in blood pressure.
