Is it safe for a pregnant woman to eat peanuts or peanut butter?
Traditionally, health experts have recommended against eating peanuts or peanut products during pregnancy and even while nursing; however, this approach is being reconsidered based on a new study. In this study, the offspring of pregnant mice fed peanuts had lower peanut-specific immunoglobulin-E (IgE) levels, and showed reduced peanut-stimulated immune responses when compared with offspring from mothers who did not consume any peanuts during pregnancy. This suggests that eating peanuts during pregnancy may increase an infant’s tolerance to peanuts later on and lower the incidence of peanut allergy. Keep in mind that this research was conducted on mice. The results may not transfer to humans. Nonetheless, it appears that eating peanuts during pregnancy is safe, and might even be beneficial. Source: López-Expósito, I., Järvinen, K.M., Castillo, A., Seppo, A.E., Song, Y., Li, X.M. “Maternal peanut consumption provides protection in offspring against peanut sensitization that is further e
