American research claims link between peanut consumption during pregnancy and childhood allergy

The findings of a report published on 1 November 2010 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the USA has re-opened the debate on whether it is safe for pregnant women to eat peanuts.

The research which was carried out by Doctors at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and looked at over 500 infants who had been identified as being likely to have a dairy or egg allergy or severe eczema. It is already known that people with these allergies are at increased risk of having a peanut allergy. Over a third of the babies, when tested, were found to have a "significant" sensitivity to peanuts and those whose mothers had eaten peanuts during their pregnancy were more likely to have the allergy.

"Researchers in recent years have been uncertain about the role of peanut consumption during pregnancy on the risk of peanut allergy in infants," lead author Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, a professor of pediatrics, said in a statement. "While our study does not definitively indicate that pregnant women should not eat peanut products during pregnancy, it highlights the need for further research in order make recommendations about dietary restrictions."

Advice to pregnant women over recent years has been confusing. In 2000 the American Academy of Paediatrics recommended that all pregnant women should refrain from eating peanut but that advice was later retracted due to insufficient scientific evidence to back it up.

Allergist Cliff Bassett the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York said there is "quite a controversy" and considerable debate surrounding whether avoidance or exposure is the best course of action for preventing certain food allergies. "We weigh the pros and cons of eating peanuts vs. avoiding them. The jury is completely out".

In the UK the Food Standards Agency most recent advice on eating peanuts during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding was published in 2009. It clearly states that women can safely include peanuts as part of a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy unless they, themselves have a peanut allergy or they are specifically advised by their health care professional to avoid them. According to the FSA website "the latest research has shown that there is no clear evidence to say that eating or not eating peanuts during pregnancy affects the chances of your baby developing a peanut allergy".

The government is currently funding research with the hope that more conclusive evidence may be found on which to base advice. In the meantime the advice to pregnant women in the UK remains as stated above.