Eating peanuts that have been boiled in water could cut the risk of life-threatening reactions in those who are allergic, according to researchers at Imperial College London, who are now testing the approach in a trial.
Boiling peanuts for 20 to 30 minutes washes out some of the proteins that can trigger often fatal responses and which remain for example after roasting.
Once the nuts have been boiled and cooled, they are fed under medical supervision to those with a peanut allergy. This is in minute quantities at first a few crumbs every few weeks but is increased to six to eight whole peanuts at a time over the course of a year.