One of the most well-known allergens is peanuts, but a new study shows that exposing preschoolers to small and regular doses of peanuts can lower their risk of a severe allergic reaction.

A study titled, "First Real-World Effectiveness Analysis of Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy," published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, gave hope to many parents who fear that their children may face severe allergic reactions when exposed to peanuts. The study showed that exposing children to a small and regular dose of an allergen, which in this case was peanuts, in a setting outside clinical trials, can be effective in reducing the risk of suffering from an allergic reaction.

The study, carried out by researchers from the University of British Columbia, looked into the treatment known as oral immunotherapy. This treatment involves gradually increasing the number of peanut products that are being given to a child. The researchers administered the treatment to 117 preschool-age children who were between nine months old and five years. The children from Canada all have peanut allergies and they received one peanut or about a quarter of a teaspoon of peanut protein, approximately (300mg) daily as part of their maintenance.

After a year, researchers found that almost 80 percent of preschoolers increased their dosage of peanuts without getting an allergic reaction. From the initial one peanut, they were able to eat 15 peanuts, which is approximately 4,000 mg. The researchers made sure that the administration of the peanuts was done by an allergist.

The researchers noted that about 21.4 percent of the children in the study experienced some allergic reaction. Those who had mild reactions were at 14.5 percent, while those who had moderate reactions were at six percent. The best part perhaps was that there were no severe reactions.

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Peanut butter treatment to reduce severe allergies. Photo: Pixabay

Dr Lianne Soller, allergy research manager at the UBC and the lead author of the study, said that because of oral immunotherapy, the kids would be able to eat foods that contain peanut butter, like cakes or cookies, without the associated risk of an allergic reaction. This in itself is great news for many families.