New research examines babies� reactions to diet

CAMERON Brydon is at risk of becoming one of the thousands of children in the UK who have a potentially life-threatening food allergy. As a sufferer of eczema, he has a one-in-five chance of developing a reaction to peanuts.

But the eight-month-old, from Livingston, is taking part in a ground-breaking study which could shed new light on why such allergies develop and how they could be prevented.

The current advice in the UK - as with many other Western countries - is that peanuts should not to be introduced into the diet of babies with a history of allergies in the family for the first three years of life.

This recommendation, however, which was introduced two decades ago, has failed to halt a relentless rise in the number of children developing allergies. It is estimated that child food allergies have more than doubled in the past decade, to affect almost one in 50 in the UK.

With the reasons unknown, one leading expert in paediatric allergies has gone back to the drawing board.

Professor Gideon Lack, of Evelina Children's Hospital at St Thomas' Hospital, London, is leading ground-breaking research which will test whether current prevention theory actually works, or whether it would be better for children to be exposed to foods which might cause allergies from an early age.

Around 160 babies have been recruited for the research so far, including Cameron, who developed eczema at the age of three months. His mother Karlyn said that she was keen to enrol him in a study which could benefit future generations.

"He was allocated to the group which eats peanuts, so I give him a peanut snack such as smooth peanut butter at least three times a week. So far he has been fine and they are tested regularly up until the age of five years old.

"You have your own opinions about allergies and I wanted him to be part of it to see whether it is going to be the case that direct exposure is the best strategy," she said.

Professor Lack said that children in other countries which appeared to have a lower incidence of peanut allergy, such as Africa and Asia, often eat the food in the first year of life.

"But we don't know why that is," he said. "There may be genetic differences or there may be other environmental differences, for example sunlight exposure. It is very hard to compare results from different countries to choose the best strategy."

The Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (Leap) study will recruit 480 babies between the ages of four and 10 months from across the UK who have a high risk of developing a peanut allergy because they have eczema or an egg allergy. Half will follow a diet which excludes peanut-containing foods until the age of three, with the other group eating peanut snacks three times a week under close dietary supervision.

The findings will be assessed once the children reach the age of five. Lack said that although the study would only provide evidence on the best strategy for dealing with peanut allergy, it could pave the way for studies on other foods.

"We won't necessarily be able to say that the findings apply to egg and fish and other foods, but it will give us a good indication and it will mean that we will need to do those sorts of studies for other foods," he said.

Lindsey McManus, deputy information manager with the charity Allergy UK, said many children suffered isolation because of their condition.

"Children do get excluded because of their allergies," she said. "If they have got a peanut allergy, parents are frightened to invite them to their children's birthday parties or if they have got severe eczema, children don't want to play with them.

"We want to stop that by educating healthcare professionals and carers across the board as to how they can help manage a child's allergy."

l Parents of children under 11 months old with eczema and/or egg allergies and interested in taking part in the study can get information on 0800 234 6522 or at www.leapstudy.co.uk.