Peanut allergies: Australian study into probiotics offers hope for possible cure
Australian scientists say a particular strain of probiotics could offer a possible cure for people with potentially fatal peanut allergies.
Researchers from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne gave 60 children who are allergic to peanuts either a probiotic along with a small dose of peanut protein or a placebo.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Mimi Tang said more than 80 per cent of children who received the protein and probiotic were able to tolerate peanuts without any allergic symptoms at the end of the trial.
"This is 20 times higher than the natural rate of resolution for peanut allergy," she said.
Twenty-three of the 28 children who received the probiotic with the peanut protein were able to eat peanuts after the study.
The effect lasted for two to five weeks after treatment.
The strain of probiotic used in the study was Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
Researchers warned the treatment was given under close medical supervision and that some children had allergic reactions.
"It seems we have been able to modify the allergic response to peanuts such that the immune system produces protective responses rather than a harmful response to the peanut protein," Associate Professor Tang said.
The prevalence of food allergies has increased in westernised countries. A recent Australian study found 10 per cent of 12-month-old babies and 3 per cent of infants had a peanut allergy.
Researchers said this study was the first randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating a novel probiotic with peanut protein.
"This is a promising therapy in the context of the increase in peanut allergy incidence," Associate Professor Tang said.
But further work was required to confirm whether the children had attained long-term resistance to peanut allergies, she said.
Doctors are planning a long-term follow-up study to see how effective the treatment may be three to four years after giving the probiotic.
Peanut allergies have increased by 350 per cent in the past two decades. It is the most common cause of death due to food allergy.
