A Third of Babies Told They Have a Peanut Allergy May Not Have One

More than a third of babies thought to have a peanut allergy could safely have the diagnosis removed, according to a world-first national program in Australia that is already changing how doctors approach infant food allergies.

The research was led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the National Allergy Centre of Excellence, working with ten paediatric public hospitals. Teams assessed 1,275 infants under 18 months old, and 778 of them underwent a carefully supervised oral food challenge. Thirty-five per cent did not react.

Confirming before committing

An oral food challenge involves feeding a child gradually increasing amounts of peanut over several hours in a hospital setting, with medical teams on hand. The total dose rises to the equivalent of about two teaspoons of peanut butter, above the threshold where doctors would expect a reaction in a truly allergic child.

Without the challenge, the children who passed would likely have avoided peanut for years, carrying what researchers call an unnecessary allergy label.

"We found more than one third of infants who were suspected to have peanut allergy based on their history and initial tests no longer reacted when they underwent a supervised food challenge," said Dr Tim Brettig, the program's medical lead. "Being able to identify those children early allows them to avoid an unnecessary allergy label and the burden of avoiding peanut."

NACE director Professor Kirsten Perrett told ABC News the number who did not react was "surprising", given every child had both a history of reactions and a positive skin prick or blood test.

A national first

The findings come from an evaluation of the ADAPT Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Program, launched in 2024. It is the first peanut allergy treatment program offered in Australian public hospitals for infants outside a clinical trial. For children whose allergy is confirmed, the program builds tolerance with tiny, gradually increasing doses of peanut over two years.

Peanut allergy affects about one in 30 Australian children, and similar patterns are seen in many other countries.

Important for parents

The researchers stress that food challenges must only ever be done under medical supervision, never at home. For families living with a suspected allergy, though, the message is hopeful: asking a specialist about a supervised challenge could lift a heavy label and open up a lifetime of school lunches, birthday parties and one less thing to fear.