Why are roasted peanuts worse than raw for those with nut allergies?

Dry roasting peanuts causes chemical changes that can sensitise the immune system to peanut proteins, claims a study.

16:32 22 September 2014

A recent study has found that roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger allergic reactions when compared to those that are raw.

 

The study explained that the process of dry roasting peanuts causes chemical changes, which can alter the way that the immune system responds to peanut proteins. 

 

Dry roasted peanuts are more popular in the UK and this study may explain why peanut allergy is so much more common in the West compared in Eastern Asia, whereby raw peanuts are often used in cooking or are eaten raw, boiled, or fried. 

 

Dr Amin Moghaddam, from Oxford University, said: “Allergies are driven by multiple factors including family genetic background and exposure to environmental triggers.

 

"In the case of peanut allergy, we think we may have discovered an environmental trigger in the way peanuts are processed by high-temperature roasting.”