Pregnancy and Peanuts: In the UK, a House of Lords committee is expected to recommend that the government reverse its health advisory on peanuts and pregnant and nursing women. Currently, the government recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women with a history of asthma and allergies avoid exposing their babies to peanuts in utero or through breastmilk; however, the rate of UK primary school children with nut allergies has doubled in the past several years. “It is quite striking that the increase in peanut allergies is rather in step with the increasing Government advice not to expose tiny children to them,’ said Lord May of Oxford. ‘In Israel, where peanuts are quite commonly found in baby food, there has been no increase in peanut allergies.” Health minister Ivan Lewis offfered, “If the advice is entirely wrong and counterproductive and actually damaging people, then we really need to move rather quickly rather than having ongoing incessant reviews.”

Preemies and Steroids: According to a study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, a corticosteroid called betamethasone, when given in repeat doses to women at risk of premature delivery, may increase the risk of the infants developing cerebral palsy. The study followed 556 infants to ages two or three, and found that six out of 248 children whose mothers received weekly administration of the drug were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, versus one of the 238 of the infants whose mothers received only one dose. Although the numbers were not statistically significant, the lead researcher notes that as repeat doses provide no apparent benefit over the single dose, and may put babies at risk, the practice of giving multiple courses of steroids should be dropped.