Peanuts in pregnancy - what is the latest info, please?

[hunkermunker]

Am doing some research and need to know what is currently being recommended to pg women.

TIA

I'm in the Netherlands and in both pregnancies I was advised not to avoid them. DD born November 07 & DS born June 09.

I think different countries advise different things, i ate peanuts, peanut butter on last pregnancy as was craving them.

Any leaflets I have had on this pregnancy says to avoid them.

Well I ate them everyday through both pregnancies, peanut butter on toast was my craving both times (no advice 14 years ago)
DS 13 has treenut allergies and various others, but has grown out of peanut allergy

DD 11 has no known allergies.

Make from that what you will

Isnt there some research somewhere that shows that whilst other european countries (who have not recommended avoidance) have a fairly low incidence of peanut allergies; the UK (who do recommend avoidance) have the highest rate of peanut allergies

I am currently pg, all books and leaflets from MW advise avoidance - I havent and have pretty much eaten what Ive fancied

My midwife suggested no real need to avoid unless there was any instance of nut allergy in the family - there isn't. So now I happily chomp away on peanut butter on toast.

BTW for my first (pfb much!) pregnancy I did avoid peanuts but had serious cravings so resorted to Cashew Nut butter, which was yummy but much more expensive.

The UK doesn't recommend avoidance, unless there is a reason to think the baby is likely to have an allergy, "during pregnancy avoid eating peanuts and foods containing peanut products if you have a family history of allergies such as hayfever, asthma, eczema etc."

It's all here.

There is no date on this page, but I think it's pretty up to date as it has the more recent caffeine recommendation of 200mg, unlike the NHS 'The Pregnancy Book' of 2007, which I think still says 300mg.

The Food Standards Agency website used to say that if you had a family history of allergies, it was best to avoid, but there was some research linking total avoidance with an upturn in the number of allergies.

I always thought that made things very clear, and as a result, haven't stopped eating them.

I was then disappointed that with the website's upgrade that they've changed it to something more nebulous and less helpful - and there I was citing it as an example of someone treating pregnant women like grown-ups...

When pg with dd (06/07) the advice was to avoid if there was a family history of nut allergies or asthma. Now pg again and advice is to avoid completely

DD has just been diagnosed with a peanut allergy. Hoping to TTC after Christmas and asked consultant whether I shouls avoid peanuts this time round (I didn't with DD nor with DS -no allergies).

Her advice? Do you like peanuts? Then, eat them...

imo allergies strange things ,i had a bad allergy to monosodium glutamate ,itgave me food poisoning (appeared out of no where- the allergy) i cut it out of my diet for 5 years but then re introduced it (the odd tub of chinese curry sauce and chips) and im fine with it now

i have a mild peanut allergy but very occasionally get peanut butter craving and can eat a bit

my humble theory is that a few peanuts in pregnancy do no harm ,imho the act like a preparation for the body for peanuts so that the childs body has experienced them before

think that no one really knows why severe immune system reactions can occur with certain foods but i think if your child is badly allergic to peanuts it will probably be so whether you eat them in pg or not

I agree foreverchanges. We have allergies in the family but I think avoiding peanuts sounds like nonsense - surely exposure would be a good thing? So I am tucking into peanuts. I am finding nuts a great snack for sickness and energy levels in early pregnancy. But I suppose I am the type to eat soft cheese, parma ham and ignore lots of other advice too. As OP research, I will come back and post next week when I've been to the doctor.

mmm parma ham . you must try the serrano ham from lidl, ReneRusso its divine (lidl do sell some amazing continental things )

sorry to veer off thread

hope thats not a thread killer sorry bit tipsy RR youre probably far to posh to even contemplate lidl

I am soooo posh. Will send butler to lidl first thing tomorrow.

forever changes why do you say you have a nut allergy if you can eat it without a reaction? The deaths that occur from nut allergy are often in those told they have a "mild" allergy.

As for the original question - you've been given the Government advice but I don't think there is proper evidence to back up a recommendation one way or the other.

[skeptical] im still ,peanuts just give me big spots ,i will always eat them in company(just in case) so there is someone to phone emergency !

err [sceptical]

RR no one is too posh for lidl imho

hmm cant spell at last

did say bit tipsy

Ever had tests to see if it actually is nut allergy? The monosodium problem doesn't sound like allergy, more like an intolerance.

It's possible to have mild reactions to nut and go on having mild reactions but nut allergies are unpredictable. You can have mild reactions one time and anaphylactic ones the next. You should also be aware that exercise or dehydration (for example from excess alcohol) can increase the risk. The average time to death in a severe reaction is about 30 minutes so you do need to be sure someone will be able to get you help quickly. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have liquid piriton around too, although it's not much use in a serious reaction.

It's stories like these that make me concerned

www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/man-died-an-hour-after-being-treated-for-peanut-allergy-1719 832.html

[http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1441832.schoolboy_dies_after_allerg icreactionto_sweet/]]

This one isn't nuts but someone else who thought an allergy was mild
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1038817/How-prawn-salad-Royal-Ascot-nearly-killed-TV-news-beauty- Kate-Silverton.html

yes had blood test came up as pos but i would agree more intolerance than allergy

do get sore throat tho if i eat too many

Even with adrenaline it isn't always possible to reverse a reaction, sometimes people still die from severe reactions despite the best medical care. You'd be safer with an epipen or two.

Your life, your choice.

but can withstand the odd teaspoon of p nut butter

foreverchanges your doctor should have explained to you that if you have a nut allergy and can eat a small amount you may always be able to do so or you may one day find yourself having an anaphylactic reaction. They can't tell you if that will happen and I certainly can't. No-one has good enough information to say how many people eventually get anaphylactic reactions and how many don't so I can't even tell you how the risk compares to, say, crossing the road or taking a flight. We all take risks everyday and don't think about most of them.

If you have an anaphylactic reaction and you get medical help very quickly you may recover with no worse effect that a bit of a bruise and a bad fright. Or help may arrive too late and you die.

I hate to hear of people who don't realise what they are risking because I've seen anaphylactic reactions and it's not pleasant to watch someone you love and wonder if they will survive. If I didn't say something I'd feel guilty if anything happened to you. But I've given you almost all the information I have.

If you want more information on risk you'd need to look at longitudional studies of nut allergy and frequency/severity of reaction after the initial reaction. These are some I know about

www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/168/10/1279

cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16888140

The Anaphylaxis Campaign may have done a study of their members.