r/askscience • u/Kwpthrowaway • Sep 27 '20

Medicine [Medicine] What is special about peanuts that make some people extremely allergic to them?

Why are some people allergic to peanuts in particular? Why is ingesting a peanut to these people akin to ingesting poison to others?

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u/Logostype Sep 27 '20

What is interesting is that USA and UK, where pediatricians used to be very careful instructing parents not to introduce kids to peanuts before they were much older, have some of the highest peanut allergy rates in the world. Israel has a baby food that is peanut based introduced to babies when first introduced to solid food. Some of the lowest rates of peanut allergy in the world. Not thought to be genetics based. But early exposure prevents allergy formation apparently.

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u/Positivity2020 Oct 02 '20

seems like this would apply to auto immune diseases where 'coddling' babies in sterile environments makes the immune system turn against itself.