Research conducted in Britain suggests that allowing young children to eat peanuts can help them avoid a peanut allergy.
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Contrary to accepted health advice, the research found that high-risk children who ate peanuts frequently up to the age of five were 80 percent less likely to develop an allergy than those who did not.
The lead author, Professor Gideon Lack of King's College London, said the research is ground-breaking:
"We realise this goes very much contrary to previous advice, but it is absolutely essential that we direct our tension to this group of infants, and really stamp this growing epidemic of peanut allergy."
The findings suggested new health guidelines were needed.
Experts warn that small children should never be fed whole nuts because of the risk of choking.
Allergic reactions to peanuts range from difficulty in breathing and swelling of the tongue to pain, nausea and in some cases, death.
- BBC