Health
Feeding peanuts to babies could prevent allergies through the teen years, study finds
Feeding peanut butter to babies — starting during infancy and continuing until age 5 — has been shown effective in reducing allergies into adolescence, according to a new study by King’s College London.
The LEAP-Trio study, published on Tuesday in NEJM Evidence, showed that children who consumed peanuts early in life were 71% less likely to develop peanut allergies all the way up to 13 years of age.
This was a follow-up to the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) clinical trial. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) sponsored and co-funded both studies.
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In the original trial, half the participants were asked to consume peanuts regularly from infancy until age 5, while the other half were asked to avoid the food during that period.
Researchers found that early introduction of peanuts reduced the risk of peanut allergy at age 5 by 81%.
Feeding peanut butter to babies has shown to be effective in reducing allergies into adolescence, according to a new study. (iStock)
This latest trial included 508 participants from the original study, averaging 13 years of age.
The children were given peanuts in a “carefully controlled setting” to gauge any allergic reactions.
Peanut allergies were “significantly more prevalent” among the children who avoided peanuts in the first five years of life.
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“Regular, early peanut consumption reduced the risk of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71% compared to early peanut avoidance,” the study authors wrote.
This effect persisted regardless of whether the children had eaten peanuts regularly or avoided them over a period of many years.
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“The key finding of this study is that early consumption of peanut, starting early in the first year of life, confers long-term protection against peanut allergy all the way into adolescence, even without continued consumption of peanut beyond the age of five years,” lead study investigator Gideon Lack, a professor at King’s College London, told Fox News Digital.
Children who consumed peanuts early in life were 71% less likely to develop peanut allergies all the way up to 13 years of age, researchers found. (iStock)
“This is the first study to establish long-term oral tolerance as a protective strategy against peanut allergy.”
To prevent peanut allergy, young babies as early as 4 months of age should be given peanuts in the form of peanut puffs or peanut butter “regularly and frequently” — at least three times a week — over the first four to five years of life, the researchers recommended.
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“I was not entirely surprised, but nevertheless impressed by the strong protective effect of early peanut consumption preventing peanut allergy all the way into adolescence,” Lack noted.
“This indicates that lifelong tolerance may have been achieved.”
“Early introduction of infant-safe peanut foods has been proven to help prevent peanut allergies, especially but not exclusively in infants at risk for peanut allergies,” a registered dietitian told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Sherry Coleman Collins, a food allergy dietitian in Marietta, Georgia, was not involved in the study but shared her insights on the topic.
“Early introduction of infant-safe peanut foods has been proven to help prevent peanut allergies, especially but not exclusively in infants at risk for peanut allergies,” she told Fox News Digital.
“In this study, they found that even if children who ate peanut foods in infancy stopped eating peanuts for a period of time, they were still protected against developing a peanut allergy,” Collins continued.
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This supports the idea that tolerance to foods developed in infancy can extend into adolescence, according to Collins.
“Infants who have moderate to severe eczema and/or egg allergy should discuss early introduction of peanut foods to help prevent peanut allergies because they are at highest risk,” she advised.
“Infants who have moderate to severe eczema and/or egg allergy should discuss early introduction of peanut foods to help prevent allergies.”
The study did have some limitations, Lack acknowledged.
“One weakness of the study is that it was carried out in a high-risk population of babies with severe eczema or hens egg allergy,” he told Fox News Digital.
“However, the findings of the original LEAP study have now been replicated in other lower-risk normal populations and therefore are applicable to the general population.”
These findings could likely be effective for other types of food allergies, the researchers said.
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Health
Possible hantavirus case under investigation in upstate New York; no connection to deadly cruise ship outbreak
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A “suspected” hantavirus case in upstate New York is being investigated, according to the Ontario County Public Health Department (OCPHD) based in Canandaigua.
The department announced in a Facebook post Thursday that it is currently “investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case.”
“There is NO connection to the cruise ship outbreak, and there is no risk to the general public,” OCPHD officials wrote.
The investigation comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship that has sickened multiple passengers and crew members and left three people dead.
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As of May 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Three deaths have also been linked to the outbreak.
Health officials have emphasized that hantavirus infections remain rare and that the risk to the general public is low.
Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is considered extremely rare and has only been suspected in certain strains, including the Andes hantavirus strain linked to the cruise ship outbreak.
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A passenger wearing a face mask and blue protective gown gives a thumbs up inside a bus after disembarking from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on May 10. (Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)
“Hantavirus infections are rare in New York,” the OCPHD said. “The virus is spread through mouse and rodent droppings, especially when urine, feces, or nesting materials become aerosolized during cleaning.”
The OCPHD urged residents to take precautions when cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents may be present, including wearing gloves and masks when opening or cleaning attics, cabins, sheds and garages.
The OCPHD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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A 3D illustration shows the structure of hantavirus, an RNA virus transmitted to humans through rodent excreta that can cause severe illnesses including hemorrhagic fever, renal disease and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. (iStock)
The cruise ship outbreak has prompted heightened precautions internationally.
In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest international protocols required for the specific virus strain.
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Hospital officials said the risk of infection to staff remained low but called the quarantine a precautionary measure.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius began after a Dutch cruise ship carrying 147 passengers and crew departed Argentina on April 1 for a South Atlantic voyage.
According to the WHO, investigators believe the initial infection may have stemmed from rodent exposure during birdwatching excursions before boarding the ship.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
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A common over-the-counter medication combined with a home exercise program could help ease cognitive issues for cancer patients.
That’s according to a study from the University of Rochester, which tested the effects of physical activity and low-dose ibuprofen on patients receiving chemotherapy treatment.
“Chemo brain” (also called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or CRCI) is a known side effect of cancer treatment that can affect memory, concentration and multitasking ability. Up to 80% of people who receive chemo experience some degree of cognitive impairment, previous studies have shown.
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Rochester’s phase 2 trial studied 86 adult cancer patients in New York undergoing chemotherapy who were experiencing cognitive problems. The average age was 53 and nearly 89% of participants were women, according to a university press release.
Participants who took only ibuprofen also showed greater cognitive improvements than the placebo group. (IStock)
Patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group participated in home exercise designed specifically for cancer patients, a second group combined the exercises with ibuprofen (200 milligrams, or one pill, twice a day), the third group took ibuprofen alone and a fourth took a placebo alone.
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The exercise program consisted of low to moderate-intensity activity, including progressive walking and training with resistance bands.
“This is one of the first studies specifically designed to assess these interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment during chemotherapy in patients with multiple diseases using both performance-based cognitive assessments and patient-reported outcomes,” said lead author Michelle C. Janelsins, Ph.D., MPH, of the University of Rochester and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, in the press release.
Up to 80% of people who receive chemo experience some degree of cognitive impairment.
After six weeks, exercise was linked to the clearest improvements in attention and cognitive function, according to input from family and friends. Those in the group who combined exercise and placebo showed better attention levels compared to those who took just a placebo.
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Participants who took only ibuprofen also showed greater cognitive improvements than the placebo group.
The findings suggest that ibuprofen may provide some improvement in cognitive function, although the benefits appeared to be smaller and less consistent than those seen with exercise.
“Chemo brain” (also called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or CRCI) is a known side effect of cancer treatment that can affect memory, concentration and multitasking ability. (iStock)
This suggests that inflammation may contribute to cancer-related cognitive impairment, and that anti-inflammatory medications could be an effective therapeutic approach.
“We are encouraged by the findings of this trial that suggest possible benefits of both interventions for some cognitive domains,” Janelsins said. “Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors.”
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No adverse side effects were reported during the trial.
The findings were published in Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
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There were some limitations of the study, the researchers noted, including the small sample size and short duration. The effects were also not consistent across every measure of cognitive function.
As the majority of participants were women, the findings may not be generalized to broader populations.
“Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors,” the researcher said. (iStock)
Researchers are planning larger phase 3 trials to confirm whether ibuprofen and exercise can effectively improve chemo-related cognitive impairment.
“Since we saw cognitive benefits in some domains and not others, we will also consider additional doses and longer durations in future research trials,” said Janelsins.
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Investigators emphasized that patients should speak with their oncology team before starting ibuprofen or exercise interventions during chemotherapy, as certain treatments or medical conditions could increase the risk of side effects and complications.
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