1 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness sun Mass. I'm doctor Nicole Sathfire and 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: this is your weekly rundown. Well, this is a bit 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: of happy news in pediatrics. We've heard about it. We 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: always hear about peanut allergies. But peanut allergies and kids, 5 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: they're finally starting to trend down. I mean, I don't 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 1: know if you feel the same way, but when I 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: was a kid, it felt like no one had a 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: penut allergy. Now, as my kids were growing up and 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: going through elementary school, it's like everyone had a pena allergy. 10 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: And let me tell you, sun butter, it is not 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: the same as peanut butter. It does not taste good. 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: But so here's the thing. Data is showing finally peanut 13 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: allergies they're on the decline. Let's talk about this. A 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: new multi site analysis just found out that penut allergy 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: rates in the US kids ages zero to three has 16 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: declined by about twenty seven percent. That's a big deal. 17 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: This comes after a twenty fifteen guidance encouraged earlier peanut introduction. Now, 18 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: if you remember, before twenty fifteen, people were like, okay, 19 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: do not introduce kids to peanut butter because of a 20 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: potential allergy. Well, when kids are not exposed to something 21 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: later on in life, if they're exposed, their bodies are like, WHOA, 22 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: what's this? This is foreign and that's how an allergy develops. 23 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: So we were wrong. We being the medical professionals. I 24 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: didn't come up with those guidelines. But medical professionals essentially 25 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: said no peanuts in babies, young kids because we don't 26 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: want to expose them to it. That unfortunately led to 27 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: the rise of peanut allergies. Twenty fifteen, they kind of 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: reverse course, saying, never mind, it's okay to introduce peanuts 29 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: and peanut butter to younger kids. And now we're finally 30 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: seeing the effects of that change by a decline of 31 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: twenty seven percent, and by the way that decline, it 32 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: actually grew past forty percent after the twenty seventeen updates 33 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: published by pediatricians everywhere. That actually was to put that 34 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: in vice in practice. Twenty fifteen, we said you really 35 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: should encourage or have your kids be exposed to peanuts. 36 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: Twenty seventeen they're like, yep, you absolutely need to do it. 37 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: So we saw a twenty seven percent reduction after those 38 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: twenty fifteen guidance, but up to a forty percent reduction 39 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: in pena allergies after putting it in place. What does 40 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: this mean in plain English? Changing when we feed babies 41 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: peanuts has prevented tens of thousands of kids from developing 42 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: this potentially life threatening allergy. So again, why would feeding 43 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: peanuts earlier protect against an allergy? Will? A landmark trial 44 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: a decade ago called leap showed that early regular peanut 45 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: intake in high risk kiddos slashed the chance of becoming 46 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: peanut allergenic by more than eighty percent. That single study 47 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,399 Speaker 1: changed the world of food allergy, and now in real 48 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 1: life data outside of a controlled trial, we're actually seeing 49 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: population level benefits. So if you're a new parent or 50 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: you're about to be a parent, here's what the current 51 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: guidance means. It's practical for most infants non choking forms 52 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: of peanut. Think then smooth peanut butter or peanut powder 53 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: mixed into pure can be introduced around six months. Definitely 54 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: not before four months, because really they should just be 55 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: solely on breast milk or formula before then. You don't 56 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: want to start giving them solid foods because they're airways 57 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: their their gi system. It's just not equipped to handle that. 58 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: We would give our kiddos older than six months, when 59 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: they were still infants. We actually would take oatmeal, some egg, 60 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: and peanut butter and mix it all together. It sounds disgusting, 61 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: but let me tell you, my kids love it. And 62 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: by the way, none of them had a peanut or 63 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: egg allergy. I'm not saying it's because I did that, 64 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: but I'm just saying they loved it, and it was 65 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: high in protein. It was a great way to get 66 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: protein in these kids. So babies who have severe eggzema 67 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: or a known egg allergy should talk with clinicians obviously 68 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: before doing any of this, because the reality is allergies 69 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: still exist and it can still happen. So make sure 70 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: you're keeping tabs and in touch with your pediatrician as 71 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: you're introducing new foods, and once you start, just keep 72 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: it up. Consistency matters because the immune system learns through 73 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: repeated exposure. And by the way, this goes without saying, 74 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: but just in case, never give whole peanuts to infants. 75 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: These little bean peanuts, they are easy to swallow and 76 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: choke on. Please don't ever do that. Everything that goes 77 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: into an infant's mouth should be puraded. They have a 78 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: really high choking risk. So let's zoom out for a second. 79 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: Through the late nineteen nineties early two thousands, well intentioned 80 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: advice told families to delay these allergens peanuts, eggs, all 81 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: that it certainly didn't reduce risk. In fact, food allergy 82 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: prevalence rose substantially during those years. Course correction, introducing allergens 83 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: earlier has been one of the biggest public health wins 84 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: in pediatrics this decade, and it's big news. So is 85 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: there federal backing to the guidelines? Yep? Absolutely, FD eight 86 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,919 Speaker 1: now is saying that introducing peanut and egg as early 87 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: as four months may reduce the risk of developing allergies. 88 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,799 Speaker 1: That's a strong signal to clinicians, manufacturers, and parents alike. 89 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: So what's the bottom line. What's the take home here? 90 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: Earlier regular penut introduction is a rare win win. Yes, 91 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: this comes on the heels of bad advice that was 92 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: given a couple of decades ago. But course correction, we're 93 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: back to a win win and it's simple at the 94 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: kitchen table, powerful for immune training, and now clearly paying 95 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: off at the population level. As a mine, as a physician, 96 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: I'll take that kind of progress any day. I'm doctor 97 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,720 Speaker 1: Nicole Saffire. This has been your weekly rundown. Thanks so 98 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: much for listening to Wellness and Masks. Make sure you 99 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: listen on iHeart Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts, and 100 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: we'll see you next week.