Daily Peanut Doses May Help Adults Overcome Allergy

Rapid Summary

• A study shows daily doses of peanut protein can desensitise adults with peanut allergies, reducing the risk of allergic reactions.
• Peanut allergy is caused by the immune system identifying peanut proteins as a threat, leading to excessive IgE antibody production and severe symptoms like swelling and anaphylactic shock.
• Oral immunotherapy, approved for children in the US since 2020, exposes individuals to gradually increasing amounts of peanut protein to train immune tolerance.
• Researchers recruited 21 adults with severe allergies. By incrementally consuming small doses daily over months, 15 participants could tolerate up to five peanuts without adverse reactions; six participants dropped out due to allergic reactions or unrelated reasons.
• The treatment raised levels of IgG antibodies that counteract harmful effects of IgE antibodies.
• Experts caution that long-term tolerance may require regular or daily peanut intake even beyond trials.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The demonstrated success of oral immunotherapy for adults offers potential hope for those suffering from peanut allergies globally. For India-where allergy awareness and advanced therapeutic access may be limited-the study underscores the need to expand understanding of similar healthcare interventions against food-related allergies prevalent in the region. With a substantial population reliant on legumes like peanuts as dietary staples and risks tied to accidental allergen exposure due to contamination in food supply chains, scalable solutions such as controlled desensitisation protocols could alleviate public health concerns. Larger clinical trials cited by experts are essential before widespread implementation but certainly signal progress worth monitoring for Indian healthcare systems navigating rapid modernization amidst traditional practices.