How the peanut allergy epidemic was fueled by faulty science and institutional arrogance
By ljdevon // 2025-04-07
Copy
 
Who: Public health agencies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the leadership of Anthony Fauci, were at the forefront of this crisis, implementing policies that dismiss scientific findings explaining the reasons behind rising peanut allergies in children. What: A catastrophic policy recommending peanut avoidance in children, which led to a tripling of peanut allergies in Western nations. When: The tripling of peanut allergies occurred from the late 1990s to 2017— which is about the time when the AAP finally reversed course. Where: This health crisis primarily occurred in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, but also spread globally. Why: Misguided science, institutional pride, and a refusal to admit error were behind the catastrophe—echoing the same patterns seen during COVID-19.

The peanut panic and its deadly consequences

  • The AAP’s catastrophic 2000 guidance urged parents to withhold peanuts from children under three, despite zero scientific backing.
  • Peanut allergy rates doubled by 2003 and have since tripled, creating a lifelong burden for millions.
  • Immunologists knew early exposure prevented allergies—but were ignored for nearly two decades.
  • Anthony Fauci dismissed responsibility, laughing off NIAID’s role in the disastrous policy during a 2019 CBS interview.
  • Parallels to COVID-19: experts ignored dissenting science, blamed the public, and doubled down on failure.
In the 1990s, peanut allergies were rare. By 2017, they had become an epidemic—one manufactured by the very institutions meant to safeguard public health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and NIAID issued a blanket warning in 2000: parents must avoid feeding peanuts to young children, especially those at "high risk" (a vague category including any child with a family history of allergies). The UK’s Department of Health had pushed the same unscientific advice in 1998, citing a misinterpreted study. Dr. Jonathan Hourihane, the study’s author, was horrified. “It’s ridiculous,” he told Dr. Marty Makary in Blind Spots. “It’s not what I wanted people to believe.” Yet the AAP and NIAID—then led by Anthony Fauci—rolled out the policy anyway.

The inconvenient truth: early exposure prevents allergies

By 2008, dissenting researchers like Dr. Gideon Lack had already proven that peanut avoidance increased allergies. His landmark study showed Jewish children in the UK—where peanuts were withheld—had ten times the allergy rate of Israeli children, who ate peanut snacks early. But entrenched medical dogma dismissed him. “I was accused of unethical behavior,” Lack told Makary. “Testing the hypothesis was seen as preposterous.” It took until 2015 for the AAP to finally reverse course. By then, ER visits for peanut allergies had tripled. The damage was irreversible for millions of children, now condemned to carrying EpiPens, fearing restaurants, and living in constant danger.

Fauci’s deflection—and the lessons unlearned

Just as with COVID-19, the architects of this disaster refused accountability. In a 2019 CBS Sunday Morning interview, Fauci shrugged off the policy with a laugh: “I didn’t make the recommendation, that’s for sure!!" He then downplayed the AAP’s error as merely “a judgment call that in retrospect was the wrong call.” The parallels to COVID-19 policy—quarantines, mask mandates, school closures—are stark. In both cases: Institutions ignored existing science (early peanut exposure prevents allergies; lockdowns cause more harm than good). They scapegoated the public (blaming parents for allergies, blaming "anti-maskers" for COVID spread). They silenced dissenting experts (like Dr. Lack, just as they censored COVID skeptics). History is repeating itself—not just with peanut allergies, but with every public health "certainty" that crumbles under scrutiny. As Dr. Lack proved, the truth often lies outside the consensus. But will we ever hold these institutions accountable—or will we keep letting them gamble with our health? “It was a recommendation based on this intuitive feeling,” Fauci admitted. How many more disasters will “intuitive feelings” cause before we demand real science? Sources include: StarkRealities.substack.com News.Harvard.edu USAToday.com
Copy