4 peanuts a day keep peanut allergy at bay, ‘life-changing’ study finds

Microdosing peanuts relieves peanut allergy in adults, ‘life-changing’ research shows

Adults allergic to peanuts can be desensitised to them by taking microdoses of the nuts, a therapy already used on children, research shows

Peanut allergy immunotherapy – taking gradually increasing doses of peanuts to become desensitised to them – has until now been used only on children. New research suggests it could also be used to treat adults with the condition. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 30 Apr 2025

A man with a life-threatening peanut allergy is living a near-normal life after taking part in a “life-changing” study which gradually saw him exposed to peanuts.

Richard Lassiter’s allergy is so severe that he has been admitted to hospital many times after accidentally eating peanuts.

But now the 44-year-old eats four peanuts each morning which he said is like “taking his medicine”.

Experts say that previous desensitisation studies are focused on children, so adults with a peanut allergy are not offered this type of treatment.

18 adults with a peanut allergy were successfully desensitised to peanuts in the new study. Photo: AFP

But the new study indicates that this could be a potential treatment for adults moving forward.

Health officials say the trial gives hope to thousands of people.