Andrea Tran wrote: <I have heard twice in the last couple weeks of mothers who were avoiding peanuts while breastfeeding in the belief that this would help prevent their children from developing a peanut allergy later in life. Is anybody familiar with this and is there any supporting research?> See the following: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/316/7149/1926/a British Medical Journal article [BMJ 1998;316:1926 (27 Jun)] titled "Women warned to avoid peanuts during pregnancy and lactation." The article reports on advice from the British government's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, which studied the question of why peanut allergy (in particular) seems to be increasing. Quoting from the article: "John Warner, professor of child health at Southampton University and a member of the government's working group on peanut allergy, said: 'Maternal consumption of peanuts and peanut products seems to be associated with earlier onset and increasing prevalence of allergy.' "Evidence from aborted fetal samples shows that from the second trimester onwards fetuses are capable of producing an allergic reaction. There are several theories on how sensitisation occurs. Some research shows that antigens from the mother can cross the placenta, whereas other work suggests fetuses can swallow IgE from the amniotic fluid, causing sensitisation." (end quoting) Other pertinent references: Cohort study of peanut and tree nut sensitization by age of 4 years. BMJ 1996;313:514-517 Managing peanut allergy. BMJ 1996;312:1050-1051 Prevention of peanut allergy (Commentary). Lancet 1998 Jul 4; 352(9121):4-5 Peanut allergy (correspondence). Lancet 1998 Aug 29; 352(9129):741-742 Exposure to peanuts in utero and in infancy and the development of sensitization to peanut allergens in young children. Pedatr Allergy Immunol 1999 Feb; 10(1):27-32 Margaret Bickmore brand-new LLL Leader in Longmont, CO (just up the road from you, Andrea!) nursing mother of a nut-allergic 2.5 yr old LactNet lurker, until now *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html