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Daily peanut exposure can desensitise allergic adults, study suggests

www.theguardian.com Daily peanut exposure can desensitise allergic adults, study suggests

First clinical trial of its kind could be ‘life changing’ for those living in fear of severe peanut reaction

Daily peanut exposure can desensitise allergic adults, study suggests

First clinical trial of its kind could be ‘life changing’ for those living in fear of severe peanut reaction

Adults with severe peanut allergies can be desensitised by daily exposure, according to the first clinical trial of its kind.

After being given steadily increasing doses of peanut flour over a period of months, two-thirds of the trial participants were able to eat the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting.

The findings suggest that the window of opportunity for treating allergies could extend into adulthood, raising the prospect of new treatments for those severely affected.

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  • As someone without allergies that has been around for too many peanut-related reactions, I absolutely hate that this article exists.

    Too many times I have heard people be dismissive of a person's severe peanut allergy, to the point of thinking it's funny to bring a peanut butter sandwich to work and wave it in someone's face, and then get defensive when it triggered a skin rash from proximity alone.

    I've seen people put peanut butter on an allergic person's car door handle.

    I've seen people put peanuts in someone's food "because they have to be faking it"

    The reason I hate this article is because it will encourage too many people who "have done their own research" to put peanuts in things "to help build up a tolerance"

    Someone is going to die from that "studies suggest".

    And I really am tired of hearing "you're overreacting, that's not going to happen" given the current state of the world.