Most babies should start eating foods containing peanuts well before their first birthday, according to new guidelinesreleased today by the National Institutes from Health.
The recommendations aim to protect high-risk kids and other youngsters from developing dangerous peanut allergies.
The new guidelines mark a complete shift in dietary advice, based on landmark research that found early exposure dramatically lowers a baby's chances of becoming allergic.
The recommendations spell out exactly how to introduce infants to peanut-based foods and when.
For some, that can start as early as 4 to 6 months of age, depending on whether they're at high, moderate or low risk of developing one of the most troublesome food allergies.
"This is such a dramatic change in our thinking, but as long as primary care providers, family practitioners, and pediatricians are familiar with these guidelines, they're fairly straight forward," said Dr. Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, a pediatric allergist at UR Medicine.
She hopes the new guidelines lead to a reduction in peanut allergies, which affect about 2 percent of American children, but that will depend on how many parents follow the recommendation.
