British researchers are hoping to reduce the risk from eating peanuts for thousands of people who live in fear that their next meal could be their last.The University of Southampton team led by Professor John Warner is trying to pinpoint what it is within key peanut proteins that triggers a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction.
It has received a grant of £205,000 from the Food Standards Agency for the groundbreaking, two-year study which will involve recruiting around 100 peanut allergics who attend specialist clinics in the South coast city.
"Peanuts contain many proteins of which up to 30 can stimulate an allergic reaction, but we believe only two or three of them are associated with the more severe reactions," said Professor Warner of the University Department of Child Health.
"If we can identify what it is in these proteins that confers a risk of a severe reaction we could be taking a big step towards improving the quality of life for allergics and their families."
Peanuts were first introduced into the UK 50 years ago. Up to two per cent of all people in the UK suffer from peanut allergy and around ten per cent of those who are allergic are at risk of a life threatening reaction.
Just a minute amount can cause anaphylactic shock, coma and even death. Up to ten people a year in the UK die after eating something containing peanut.
At present there is no way of predicting how severe a person's reaction will be. Adrenaline is the only effective treatment and most peanut allergics, including children, have to carry an injection kit around with them at all times.
Professor Warner believes the FSA-funded research will lead to the development of an effective test to identify those at risk of a severe reaction. He added: "Apart from the cost to the NHS, the spectre of having a life threatening reaction to accidental exposure to peanut and having to carry adrenaline around with you all the time is very stressful.
"We believe it will be possible to reassure a large number of peanut allergic people that their next meal will not be their last."
Once the University team has identified the peanut proteins that cause potentially fatal allergic reactions it hopes to attract further funding to develop a commercial test for the food industry so that these proteins can be detected and then removed from the manufacturing process.
[Contact: Kim d'Arcy]
29-May-2001
