The Surprising Reason Peanut Allergies Are on the Decline

The number of cases of children with food allergies has plummeted — and deadly peanut allergies are significantly declining.

In 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents wait to introduce allergens like peanuts to children until they were age 3 or older. But later research showed that introducing children — especially those at risk of a severe nut allergy — to nuts could actually help them avoid developing the allergy. So in 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases formally recommended parents introduce children under the age of 3 to allergens like nuts.

New research shows that the recommendation is working.

“We observed significant declines in the cumulative incidence of peanut” allergies, research published in the journal Pediatrics found. According to the new research, which analyzed data from 125,000 children, there was a 36% decline in all food allergies between 2012 and 2020. The incidence of peanut allergies declined 43%, meaning that eggs have now replaced peanuts as the most common childhood allergen.

“We’re talking about the prevention of a potentially deadly, life-changing diagnosis,” said Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, told The New York Times. “This is real world data of how a public health recommendation can change children’s health.”

Peanut allergies are not just inconvenient, they can be fatal. Exposure to the nuts can trigger a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylactic shock, which can cause serious, life-threatening symptoms like difficulty breathing, according to Mayo Clinic. Patients are typically administered epinephrine, an adrenaline treatment. 

If the reaction isn’t treated immediately, someone in anaphylactic shock can die.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Per the 2018 recommendation, peanut butter can be safely introduced to babies starting at 4 months; Texas Childrens Hospital recommends mixing 1 or 2 teaspoons of smooth peanut butter with 2 or 3 teaspoons of water, formula or breast milk to thin it out, and then offer the baby a small amount of the thinned out peanut butter (“the tip of a teaspoon, per the hospital”) to start.

Consult your pediatrician on how to introduce babies — and babies at risk of a severe allergy — to nuts and other allergens safely.