A third of babies' peanut allergies aren't real, study finds
In a landmark study of 778 infants, 35% showed no reaction when challenged with peanuts despite earlier allergy diagnosis.
An Australian study found that many babies wrongly diagnosed with peanut allergies can safely eat peanuts. When 778 infants were tested, 35 per cent showed no allergic reaction.
This allowed doctors to clear their diagnoses. The study was run by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute as part of the national ADAPT Peanut program.
Parents were often relieved. Without testing, their children would have spent years avoiding peanuts for no reason.
Some infants did react during testing. Twelve per cent required emergency care, so all tests must happen in a clinical setting.
The high rate of false positives surprised researchers. It opens the door for more families to get tested.
- 778
- Infants tested
- 35 per cent
- Showed no allergic reaction
- 12 per cent
- Required emergency care
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute
- Institution
Why it mattersFamilies can stop unnecessarily restricting diets, and doctors can better distinguish real allergies from false positives.
AustraliaAustralian research is changing how paediatricians diagnose peanut allergies, potentially freeing thousands of Australian families from dietary restrictions.
Corroborated bysmh.com.au·theage.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
