High-risk children who consumed peanut products from infancy until they were 5 years old were significantly less likely to develop a peanut allergy than those who avoided peanuts, according to the LEAP randomized trial (Du Toit G et al. N Engl J Med. 2015;372[9]:803-813).
The 640 infants in the trial were aged 4 to 11 months at enrollment, and all had severe eczema, egg allergy, or both. Results of a skin-prick test to peanut protein separated the participants into 2 cohorts: one with no measurable wheal after testing (nonsensitized) and the other with a wheal 1 to 4 mm in diameter (mildly sensitized). Participants in each cohort were randomly assigned to consume a peanut protein–containing bar or to avoid peanuts. Infants in the group that consumed peanuts ate at least 6 g of peanut protein per week until age 5 years.