No Peanut Allergies in Most of Africa

Have you ever heard of “Plumpy’nut”?  It is a wonderful innovation, created by a French pediatric nutritionist, used to treat children with acute malnutrition (almost starved to death).  Plumpy’nut is a peanut- based, vitamin packed, ready-to-eat, therapeutic food.  Its claim to fame is that it doesn’t have to be refrigerated.  Because of that, it can be widely distributed as food aid and is used by WHO ( World Health Organization) in disaster stricken areas.  It definitely works and has saved many children.

I first learned about Plumpy’nut when I took a class called  "Determinants of Global Health" which was taught by an Emergency Room physician.  He also worked as a physician for Doctors without Borders. He passed around a packet of this Plump’nut stuff so the class could observe it.  My reaction was panic, just like it is whenever I see anything with nuts.

 I asked, “ How can they give these children a peanut based food?  Wont many of them suffer major allergic reactions?”

 His response was, “ I have handed out thousands of these in third world countries and my colleagues and I have never seen a peanut allergy or reaction in any of these children.” 

Wow!  That got my wheels turning. I wanted to know how the poorest countries in the world were not dealing with the huge peanut allergy epidemic that the US and the industrialized countries are dealing with.  Our medicine and technology is so advanced and we have access to anything we want.  How could this even make sense?   My 1^st grader has 4 kids with a peanut allergy in her class and these doctors have handed out “thousands” of packets of Plumpy’nut, and no peanut allergy.  My search for the answer to why the US is dealing with this epidemic is ongoing.  I have some theories, but I will hold off on presenting those until I have some hard evidence research to back it up.  In the meantime, here is a little article for some food for thought.

 http://plumpynutpress.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/peanut-allergies/

Do you have a theory about the peanut allergy epidemic?  What do you think is causing it?