In addition to being consumed in large quantities alone or in other foods, peanuts are known to produce severe allergies in those with hypersensitivity. In fact, peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related anaphylaxis death in Western countries.
Given the widespread use and consumption of peanut products and the life-threatening reaction that they can induce, a great deal of attention has been focused on preventing and treating peanut allergy. In August 2017, researchers at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, published important findings in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on the long-term effects of oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy. The researchers administered a probiotic with a peanut protein daily for 18 months to children with peanut allergy. Their results demonstrated that four years after receiving the daily probiotic with a peanut protein, 70% of the children were able to eat peanuts without experiencing any side effects.
Concern over potentially life-threatening food allergies has resulted in the implementation of precautions in hospitals, schools, and even airplanes. Given the difficulty of eliminating the potential for exposure to potentially deadly foods, the successful suppression of the allergic immune response to peanuts observed by these researchers offers hope that we will one day see a future in which both children and adults can live without fear that incidental contact to commonly consumed foods will pose a life-threatening risk.
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