Can You Eat Peanuts & Peanut Butter While Pregnant?

According to the March of Dimes, peanut allergies affect 1 percent of the U.S. population, and they doubled in the decade from 1999 to 2009. The verdict is still out on whether in utero exposure to peanuts can cause this potentially fatal allergy in children.

History

• Until 2008, the American Society of Pediatrics recommended that a pregnant woman with a history of any food allergy--or whose other children or baby's father have food allergies--eliminate consuming peanuts and peanut products to prevent the possibility of exposure that could create an allergy in the child she is carrying.

Current Information

• The AAP reversed that recommendation in 2008, citing more recent information that indicates that what women eat during pregnancy has no effect on the creation of allergies in their children.

Benefits

• The March of Dimes and the APP point out that peanuts and peanut butter are good, inexpensive sources of folate--necessary for pregnant women--and protein. Vegetarians and women on limited budgets, especially, may depend upon peanut butter as a protein source.

Contamination

• Aside from allergies, another concern is the presence of aflotoxin, a toxic fungus that grows on peanuts. The U.S. government has standards for "allowable" amounts of aflotoxin in peanut products, and data on the safety of peanut products containing this toxin for pregnant women are inconclusive.

Recommendations

• If you are pregnant and concerned about eating peanuts or peanut butter, discuss the issue with the issue with your health care provider, making sure she has complete information about all food allergies in your family and that of the baby's father.