Why do Israeli children have lower rates of peanut allergies?

Israeli children suffer from peanut allergies at only one-tenth the rate of their Western counterparts with similar genetic backgrounds, and medical researchers think they know the reason: Eating Bamba, an iconic peanut-flavored snack considered a staple of Israeli childhood.

Are there peanut allergies in Israel?

Israel didn’t have peanut-allergy-prevention guidelines because peanut allergy wasn’t a big problem there. At the lake, Lack recalls his friends explaining that everybody they knew gave these peanut snacks to babies.

Why are peanut allergies so prevalent in the US?

Possibly because most people now eat far more nuts and peanuts (which are not true nuts but legumes) than they used to. There is a genetic basis to many allergies, but some have to be primed before they have any real effect.

Are peanut allergies less common?

PEANUT ALLERGY IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGY IN CHILDREN AND IS ON THE INCREASE. IT OCCURS IN ABOUT 1 IN 50 CHILDREN AND 1 IN 200 ADULTS. PEANUT IS THE MOST LIKELY FOOD TO CAUSE ANAPHYLAXIS AND DEATH. IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT THERE IS ONE DEATH FOR EVERY 200 EPISODES OF ANAPHYLAXIS.

Are you born with peanut allergy?

Babies are not born with food allergies. Rather, food allergies develop over time. Food allergies result from a breakdown of tolerance to a given food, delayed development of that tolerance, or both.

Does Bamba prevent peanut allergy?

They asked half of the infants’ parents to start feeding them Bamba, peanut butter, peanut soup or peanut in some other form before their first birthday and followed them for about five years. “What we found was a very great reduction in the rate of peanut allergy,” Lack says.

Is America the only country with peanut allergies?

And the US is not alone. The UK, Canada, and Australia have seen a similar rise in child peanut allergies. But, that’s not the case for other countries like China, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines, and Israel.

Which country has the lowest incidence of food allergies?

Where you live: Data from a 2010 study revealed varying degrees of food allergies between a group of Western countries, with the US, Germany, Italy, and Norway having the highest sensitivity and Iceland, Spain, France, and the UK with the lowest.

Why do so many people have peanut allergies?

Higher hygiene levels in modern society may cause the immune system to develop inappropriate reactions to some food proteins, and the fact that peanut oil is used in a lot of infant skin creams may prime the immune system early on. Roasting peanuts also seems to increase the concentration of some of the allergens.

Can you outgrow a peanut allergy?

Studies show that an estimated 20–25\% of children experiencing a peanut allergy will outgrow it. Of those that outgrow their allergy, 80\% do so by the age of eight.

Do Israeli and UK children eat peanut products differently?

Children in the UK rarely ate peanut products in the first year or so of life—whereas children in Israel commonly ate a snack called Bamba, a corn puff made with peanut butter. The researchers wondered: Could this be the important difference—that the Israeli children ate peanut products from an early age?

Can peanut products help prevent peanut allergy?

In 2015, a study showed that giving peanut products to babies could help prevent peanut allergy. This was exciting news, given that 1-2\% of children suffer from peanut allergy, an allergy that can not only be life-threatening but last a lifetime, unlike other food allergies that often improve as children get older.

Why is Bamba peanut puffs so popular in Israel?

Around 1967, Bamba peanut puffs started becoming a popular snack with Israeli soldiers. The soldiers loved Bamba so much that, once they returned home, they brought bags of Bamba home to their families. Thanks to this, Bamba’s popularity in Israel skyrocketed, especially among Israeli families with children.

Can babies be allergic to peanuts?

Testing for peanut allergy is recommended for the first group. Skin prick testing is best, but a blood test can be done also. If the testing shows allergy, the baby should see a specialist to discuss giving peanut products. Most babies can get them, but it needs to be done carefully and in small amounts.