A man who previously avoided peanuts due to a life-threatening allergy now eats a handful daily as part of a protocol to desensitize his body to the legume.
Richard Lassiter, a 44-year-old man with a history of hospitalizations due to peanut exposure, now eats four peanuts every morning as a “medical therapy.” His bite-sized exposure is part of a study that could offer hope for sufferers worldwide.
Before developing a tolerance to peanuts, the allergy sufferer would require extreme vigilance to avoid exposure, lest he end up with a life-threatening reaction. While previous research has shown peanut exposure in children can help build a tolerance, the latest study focused on whether adult sufferers can also reap benefits.
Although further research is needed to explore whether small exposure to peanuts can help other adults, Lassiter’s results show promise.
“I had a really severe episode on our once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Chile with my wife in 2018 that changed everything,” he said.
At the time, Lassiter says he was “1,000 miles from anywhere” when he inadvertently ate a dish containing peanuts. Fortunately, he had his auto-injector pen and inhaler to help manage the reaction before being transported to a hospital, where he remained overnight.
In another instance, Lassiter consumed peanuts hidden under the ice cream he was eating. He said he knew in “seconds” that he was in “trouble.”
By the time he reached the hospital, he was asking the nurse whether he would survive the reaction.
Now, Lassiter can rest a little easier thanks to the peanut therapy he has been following.
“I feel much calmer, much happier and really excited about the ability to do all of these things in the future,” he said.
Despite the positive findings, Stephen Till, professor of allergy at King’s College London and consultant allergist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, warned the therapy should only “be done under very close clinical supervision.”