Nuts!

Peanut allergies can be life-threatening. Such allergies were once rare but, now, about 1 in 50 UK children have such a condition. Indeed, around 13,000 UK infants develop a peanut allergy each year. Evidence, presented in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests that the timing of a child's first exposure to peanuts is crucial (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/17/give-peanut-foods-babies-four-months-cut-allergy-risk). Because of allergy concerns, parents had been advised to only gradually introduce their children to peanut-containing products. The latest research (based on 2 very large studies) suggests, however, that peanut allergies develop between 6 and 12 months of age. The authors of this paper, consequently advocate exposing babies to peanut products (not, of course, the whole nut) between 4 and 6 months of age. This, they predict, should cut UK peanut allergies by circa 77%! Seems like a good deal. Peanuts are tasty and usually a good food source. It's often difficult, however, to ensure that people, with peanut allergies, are not inadvertently exposed to products containing/contaminated by these nuts. Biological and Psychological Sciences provide many examples early exposures to a variety of things, having lasting influences.