Doctors say a potential treatment for peanut allergy has transformed the lives of allergic children taking part in a large clinical trial.

The trial, at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, tried to train the children’s immune systems to tolerate peanut protein by giving them a small amount of peanut protein powder, starting with a dose equivalent to one 70th of a peanut.

This amount was gradually increased every two weeks and after six months, 84% of the children were able eat the equivalent of five peanuts a day without triggering an allergic reaction.

These findings are published in the Lancet, but experts have warned that the therapy is not yet ready for widespread use.

Source: The Lancet