Those late-night pregnancy cravings for peanut butter may not be as innocent as once thought.
A preliminary study has found links between eating peanuts during pregnancy and an increased risk of peanut and nut allergies in infants.
Research by allergist Anne Desroches, based out of Ste. Justine Hospital in Montreal, shows eating peanuts during pregnancy quadruples the risk of allergy in a child.
The study also found that eating peanuts while breastfeeding doubles the risk of the toddler developing allergies.
"The recommendation to avoid peanuts during breastfeeding and pregnancy is for these parents who themselves have some kind of allergy -- even if it's not a food allergy," Desroches told CTV Montreal on Thursday.
The recommendation is based on the preliminary results of her study involving 200 peanut allergic toddlers and questionnaires filled out by their mothers.
Some critics, however, are calling the findings premature.
Claire Dufresne, from the Quebec Food Allergy Association, cautioned against making recommendations when the study results have not been reviewed or even published.
"You have to be careful whenever you recommend to modify the diet during pregnancy because that may lead to growth retardation to the child or it may bring nutritional deficiencies," Dufresne told CTV Montreal.
While Desroches admits that further research needs to be done, she still calls the findings very significant.
"It's the first study and I'm sure that there will be other ones to confirm this data," she said.
The head of the province's food allergy association looks forward to more research.
"Whenever the study's published we'll bring it to the attention of our medical advisors," Dufresne said.
With a report by CTV Montreal's Cindy Sherwin
