Peanut pregnancy advice may change
Friday December 12th, 2008
Two days after experts warned of "peanut hysteria", a British agency has changed its advice on avoiding peanuts during pregnancy.
According to the Food Standards Agency, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need not worry about avoiding peanuts - unless their families are at high risk.
Since 1998 women have been advised to avoid peanuts for fear the baby might develop peanut allergy.
The FSA has received a report from another agency, the Committee on Toxicity, which says the latest evidence does not support the 1998 advice.
An FSA spokesman said: "In the meantime, for high-risk groups there is no need for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or who have children aged under three to change their diets.
"Where there is a family history of allergy, parents might want to discuss their individual case with their GP or health professional if they are concerned.
"Government advice for all mothers is that they should exclusively breastfeed for around the first six months of an infant's life and not introduce any solids until after this age."
The UK department of health says it is yet to decide whether to change its own guidance.
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Nutrition & Healthy Eating | UK News
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