Peanut Allergies Declined Following Recommendation for Early Introduction

Peanut allergies in children ages 0-3 declined 27.2% after a 2015 study resulted in guidance recommending the introduction of peanut products in infancy among children, according to a study published in the November 2025 Pediatrics. The study, “Guidelines for Early Food Introduction and Patterns of Food Allergy” (published online Oct. 20) examined data from the American Academy of Pediatrics Collaborative Electronic Reporting database on children during three time periods categorized as pre-guidelines (38,594 children), post-guidelines (46,680), and post-addendum guidelines (39,594). Early introduction of allergenic foods, especially peanut, while once discouraged, became a cornerstone recommendation following findings of the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial. The LEAP trial demonstrated that introducing peanut products in infancy significantly reduced the relative risk of peanut allergy among children at high risk of developing peanut allergy. The results triggered interim guidance in August 2015 and the subsequent release of Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States in 2017, written by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and endorsed by multiple organizations, including the AAP. The Addendum Guidelines formally recommended early peanut introduction for all infants at low risk of developing peanut allergy (no/mild/moderate eczema) and for high-risk infants (severe eczema and/or egg allergy) if appropriate after testing for peanut allergy. Immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy is the most common cause of anaphylaxis in children and is associated with impaired quality of life, increased risk of allergic comorbidities, malnutrition, and high economic costs. The author suggests that future studies delineate the specific feeding practices of families to characterize the timing, frequency, and dose of foods associated with optimal protection against food allergies in children.

##

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.