14 DAY TRIAL // The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) went public yesterday in changing the existing official warnings on the effects of eating peanuts in the case of pregnant or breastfeeding women. The institution relied its statements on the latest research investigations carried out by the Committee of Toxicity, which found no relevance in stating that mothers with a family history comprising food allergies, asthma, hay fever, and so on shouldn't include in their diet peanuts in order to prevent their babies from suffering from abnormally high sensitivity to this food.
Experts in health and nutrition have already observed that the current official position has created a “mass hysteria” in what concerns children's diets, and, consequently, a set of severe measures has been taken in schools so as to impede kids from having "physical contact" with the otherwise inoffensive and tasty products.
Moreover, University of Portsmouth studies have revealed that many pregnant mothers have taken to extreme the “peanut fear,” even though there were no reported cases of allergies in their families.
Therefore, FSA felt the need to temper the inflamed spirits and published the latest news. "The new review considered by the COT does not suggest that this current advice is harmful. However, the FSA Board has agreed that the balance of evidence now available does not support continuing to follow this current advice."
The newest recommendation is to be sent to the Department of Health, and the following step would consist of the Government revising the existing policy regarding the damages that peanuts can bring to children's health.
These nuts are actually quite healthy, considering the fact that the veggies – that is, legumes related to peas, lentils, and so on – are a good source of antioxidants, help prevent heart-strokes, and are an optimum element of any diet, as eating them leaves out any possible risk of gaining pounds.