When you think about peanuts, it’s easy to look back to your childhood when so many grew up eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or when we devoured a sleeve of peanut butter cookies after school.

But there were also kids who couldn’t partake because they had a peanut allergy. “Having a peanut allergy, or really any food allergies, can be difficult for school-aged children,” says Alissa Bartel, APRN, a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. “Sometimes you can feel really left out because you have to have different snacks or different treats.”

But recent studies now show a decline in peanut allergies among young children. Peanut allergy affects about 2% of children in the U.S. and is the third leading cause of severe allergic reactions behind milk and eggs.

“Peanut allergies used to be the most common allergy, food allergy in children, now is ranked about number three in food allergies in kids,” says Bartel. “We've done a better job of exposing kids to this earlier and possibly preventing allergies later on in life.”

Introducing common allergenic foods a couple of times a week like a couple of bites of scrambled eggs or a taste of peanut butter can help train an infant’s immune system, says Bartel.

“We do know that early exposure to the most common allergens actually is beneficial, and so we used to say wait until kids are older than one year,” says Bartel. “But now we say you can start exposing kids as early as four to six months when they first start eating.”

Symptoms 

The most common symptom of an allergic reaction to peanuts is hives or blotchy skin. But drastic reactions to peanut allergies include wheezing, shortness of breath or in some cases loss of consciousness, or sudden death. 

A year ago, a 22-year-old college graduate from Texas died just days after receiving his degree when he ate a late-night snack that contained peanuts. In 2024, another college student died after experiencing anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening allergic reaction. She became severely ill after unknowingly eating peanut sauce that had been added to a meal she frequently ordered at a restaurant.

“Peanut allergies happen when our body is exposed to the proteins in peanuts, when we ingest them or come into contact with them, and our body misidentifies those proteins in peanuts as something that's almost attacking us,” says Bartel. “So, our immune system actually starts to attack those proteins.”

Nearly 80% of people never outgrow a peanut allergy. That’s why it’s important to connect with a medical provider, particularly an allergist who can do proper testing of a specific allergy, confirm the allergy and identify any further allergies you may have. An allergist can perform a food challenge test in a controlled setting. Patients can have re-exposure to tolerate foods that they once had a negative reaction to.

The number one treatment to prevent complications when you have been diagnosed with a peanut allergy is to not consume peanut containing or contaminated ingredients. That makes reading labels at the store even more important. “And then, if you decide to go out to eat, just being an advocate, making sure you're telling the people who are making and serving your food that you have a food allergy,” says Bartel. “They should be upfront and honest in letting you know if they can safely prepare your food.”

But if you or someone you know experiences a reaction to any food – trouble breathing, wheezing, your throat feels tight – don’t delay. Consider it an emergency and seek help right away. It could save your life. 

 

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From Elon Musk to TikTokers, ongoing social media chatter claims drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy are the magic way to weight loss.

There’s good news, says Aminat Ogun, MD, a family medicine physician at OSF HealthCare in Champaign, Illinois. Those drugs can help you lose weight when prescribed by a doctor under specific circumstances and paired with diet and exercise.

The more important bad news? There’s no magic, one-size-fits-all drug that will by itself cause you to shed pounds. And if someone on social media is claiming so, they’re wrong.

Dr. Ogun says Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy are from the same family of medicine. They are usually prescribed to people with Type 2 diabetes.

“It increases the insulin in the body, which helps bring glucose into the cells,” Dr. Ogun explains.

The medications also slow food leaving your stomach and suppress appetite.

Once the drugs became more well known, Dr. Ogun says people found, not surprisingly, that weight loss was a side effect and began prescribing them for that purpose under specific circumstances. She says the patient should have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 or a BMI greater than 27 with a chronic condition like diabetes, hypertension or hyperlipidemia.

But even if you meet those guidelines, Dr. Ogun says you should talk with your doctor about whether a weight loss drug is right for you or whether simply changing habits can get the results you want.

For one, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy are expensive and may not be covered by insurance.

Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports a shortage of Ozempic and Wegovy. So Dr. Ogun says doctors may be less likely to prescribe the drugs for weight loss when diabetics may have a more critical need.

And like any other medication, there is a list of side effects.

“Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation are possible,” Dr. Ogun says. “There are also hypersensitivity side effects like angioedema and an anaphylaxis reaction. It’s also been known to cause kidney injury or pancreatitis.”

Lately, the term “Ozempic face” has been trending on social media, describing a hollowed-out appearance due to quick weight loss.

One last piece of advice you’ll hear doctors give over and over: don’t rely on social media for health tips. If you find a tip that might benefit you, talk to your doctor before starting any treatment.

“The good thing about social media is that it allows a lot of people to receive a variety of information all at once,” Dr. Ogun says. “The downside: is it a credible source?”

Find a primary care provider on the OSF HealthCare website.

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