Note those with peanut allergies. The Daily Mail reported on the 12th that a clinical trial that boiled peanuts in water could reduce the risk of developing life-threatening allergic reactions is ongoing at Imperial College London.
Peanuts contain proteins that can cause allergies. When a person with allergies eats peanuts, the body’s immune system perceives this protein in the peanut as a threat and releases large amounts of chemicals to remove it from the body. In this process, symptoms of an allergic reaction occur.
Studies so far have shown that the protein remains intact when peanuts are roasted, but if peanuts are boiled in water for 20 to 30 minutes, some of the proteins that cause fatal allergic reactions are washed away.
This treatment method using boiled peanuts is a kind of oral immunotherapy, and its purpose is to slow down the immune system and prevent hypersensitivity reactions to proteins contained in peanuts.
Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy is already being implemented by the UK’s NHS (National Health Service). Peanut powder made from roasted peanuts is used, and research shows that it can prevent allergic reactions in 60 to 80% of allergic patients.
Although this can be a relatively successful method, the peanut powder used contains the same proportion of harmful proteins as peanuts, which can still cause serious side effects such as anaphylactic shock. In addition, the cost of peanut powder has been added, and as a result, only a few specialized NHS centers are implementing this treatment.
The researchers presented the results of a small study on the treatment of boiled peanuts at a conference in San Francisco, USA in 2019. The study was a way to increase the amount of peanuts eaten over a year. At first, very small amounts (a little bit of rustling) were given at intervals of a few weeks, then gradually increased, and at the end, 6 to 8 peanuts were given at a time. It should be done under medical supervision and should never be attempted at home.
It was conducted in 47 children with peanut allergy. About half of them ate boiled peanuts in increments over the course of a year, while the rest of the children did not consume them at all. A year later, all children who ate boiled peanuts were able to safely eat up to eight peanuts at a time without serious symptoms. On the other hand, children who did not consume it were still very sensitive to peanut protein.
Currently, the researchers are preparing a larger clinical trial in 112 participants to see how much more effective and safer boiled peanuts are compared to peanut flour. Results are expected later this year.
“Boiling peanuts will be a safer method with fewer side effects because the proportion of harmful proteins decreases,” the researchers said.
However, he added that there is still a risk of serious allergic reactions, so even if it is adopted as a treatment, it must be under medical supervision.
Reporter Jeong Hee-eun [email protected]
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