A clinical research study to help determine whether consumption or avoidance of peanuts is the best way to prevent peanut allergy in young children, is celebrating the enrolment of its 100th participant.

The LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut allergy) Study has reached this milestone since it started recruitment in December last year. The study, which is being conducted by leading paediatric allergist, Professor Gideon Lack, at the Evelina Children's Hospital, based at St Thomas' Hospital, London, aims to discover how to prevent young children developing a peanut allergy.

Peanut allergy is a widespread and potentially life threatening condition, with one in 70 children suffering from it in the UK. This number is on the increase and despite current Department of Health guidelines stating that parents with a family history of eczema and allergies may wish to avoid giving their children peanut until the age of three, there is little known about why the incidence of peanut allergy is on the increase.

Professor Lack and his team have discovered that although there is a high occurrence of peanut allergy in the UK, it is not typical of all countries in the world. In countries in Africa and Asia, peanut allergy is reported only very rarely, despite the fact that children apparently consume peanut from an early age. The LEAP study aims to help establish if young children should avoid or consume peanuts?

The LEAP Study aims to solve these unanswered questions by monitoring 480 high risk children, those with eczema or egg allergy, between the ages of four and 11 months over the next seven years. These children have a one in five chance of developing peanut allergy by their second birthday. The study will investigate two approaches - the avoidance of peanut in infancy (as per Department of Health guidelines) and the regular consumption of peanut containing foods in infancy. Each child is randomly assigned to follow one of the two approaches. Children in the avoidance group follow a diet that steers clear of all peanut-containing foods until the age of three; in the consumption group, parents are asked to give their child an age-appropriate peanut snack three times per week (equivalent to about 6g peanut protein per week).

All participants are carefully monitored over the study period and receive allergy testing and dietary counselling from the team of paediatric allergy specialists.

The proportion of each group that develops peanut allergy by five years of age will be used to determine which approach - avoidance or consumption - works best for preventing peanut allergy.

The study stands to benefit hundreds of people who are diagnosed with a peanut allergy every day and also solve unanswered questions regarding other allergies. Professor Lack said: "Determining whether avoidance or early exposure to peanut prevents the development of peanut allergy and understanding how this happens, will have important clinical implications. Our study findings may result in a change in public health policy to prevent food allergies and will enable scientists to identify important treatment targets to try and develop cures for children who already suffer from a peanut allergy."

Page created: 30 May 2007