Why is peanut oil unsafe??

I think the bigger issue is comfort zone. Technically "hot pressed" peanut oil, which is what is used commericially in the US, is completely refined and has no PN protein in it. "Cold pressed" oil still has some protein in it. Frankly, I'm not sure what the manufacturing process is that makes the difference.

Anyhow, there are those that feel comfortable with the statement that PN oil is safe, other that wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Some worry that a company's guarantee of "completely refined" is not trustworthy enough to bet their child's life on. Others feel the actual risk of PN protein contamination is miniscule to none. I would hazard a guess that most of us on this board would not feel comfortable letting our children eat foods fried in PN oil. Many of us have "about" the same comfort zones. Some have broader comfort zones, and that is ok too. That is the good thing about this board - the range of opinions and experiences.

Not judging here, just illuminating our range of comfort zones.

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Lori Jo,

Rose, 7-31-02, PA
Noah, 7-29-05
Beatrice & Georgia, 8-14-99

Here's the link to the actual study that most doctors base their recommendations about peanut oil on:

[url="http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/314/7087/1084#Introduction"]http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/314/7087/1084#Introduction[/url]

The authors' conclusion is that their study shows that there is a 95% probablility that less that 5% of people who are allergic to peanuts will react to refined peanut oil. Of course, 5% of the PA population is still 50,000 people in the U.S. alone, so even if the oil is safe for most people, there are still a lot of people who have reason for continued concern:

There are three reasons that personally I don't believe that peanut oil is safe for my son:

(1) "Refined peanut oil" is not easy to identify. In the study, they say that it is odorless and flavorless and has no measuralbe protein. But I can certainly smell and taste the peanut oil Chick-Fil-A and other manufacturers use.

Also, in FDA's report on Threshold levels, they have identified measurable protein levels in refined oils as high as 60 ug/g, so it's not true that peanut oil never contains peanut protein.

(Scroll down to appendix 3):

[url="http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgn2.html#app"]http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgn2.html#app[/url]

2. I personally don't think that the subjects of the study reflect the highly sensitive population. After the study subjects failed to react to the peanut oil, they had an oral peanut challenge which involved first rubbing a peanut on their lips, and then, if that didn't cause a reaction, feeding them whole peanuts.

I know with my son, based on past reactions, rubbing a peanut on his lip would probably cause anaphylaxis. The fact that these 60 adults didn't react to peanut oil doesn't mean my son wouldn't.

3. Most importantly, before my son was formally diagnosed with PA, I personally saw him react to french fries fried in peanut oil. It was a mild reaction - red rash around his mouth, and "that cough," but I have no doubt he did react.

Hope this helps sort things out!

Greenlady has some good info. I will be honest here, before I knew any better, I did alot of things I don't do anymore. One of them was eating at Chik-Fil-A....my son has had their nuggets many times with no problems. However...we haven't been there in over a year and I'd like to keep it that way. Alot of people around here order trays of their nuggets for b-day parties...and we've decided it's not something we need to mess with(even though NO problems in the past). Another reason, it sends mixed messages to other people(parents, family members) they all know Chik...uses peanut oil, so if I let my son eat their nuggets, why isn't other foods with peanut ingredients okay....so to keep it less confusing, we explain, "they use peanut oil so it's not safe for Jake to eat"....end of story. (Jake also heard about the peanut oil and wants nothing to do with them...so I respect his opinion too). HUGS

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Chanda(mother of 4)
Sidney-8 (beef and chocolate, grasses, molds, weeds, guinea pig & asthma)
Jake-6 (peanut, all tree nuts, eggs, trees, grasses, weeds, molds, cats, dogs, guinea pig & eczema & asthma)
Carson-3 1/2 (milk, soy, egg, beef and pork, cats, dog, guinea pig and EE)
Savannah-1 (milk and egg)

Before PA diagnosis, my son ate those chinese rice crackers we would buy from a little market. They were store made, they were yummy....cooked in pn oil. I never once noticed any itching, or any concern after eating them.
After PN diagnosis...just too creepy to eat anything that says peanut.

I avoid it as I react to nut oils on skin contact.

This couldn't be more timely for me. Just a couple hours ago I opened a bag of Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion potato chips. When I bought it I read the allergen statement ONLY, which said milk, wheat, and soy. I was never intending to give them to my 3 year old PA DS--just wanted to make sure it was safe to bring in the house.

So, opened the bag at lunch and took out a handful. I had already prepared DS's lunch, but he asked me to cut up some extra fruit. I'm not sure at what point in the meal he started coughing, but it was enough that I went back to the bag and saw right there--second ingredient!--peanut oil.

I never gave him a chip--I only cut up his fruit after touching the chips. Could have been a total fluke--could have been coughing just because (he's still fighting a sinus infection).

I called the company, Tim's, and she said it was a "highly refined peanut oil" and that all the protein was removed and he shouldn't have any reaction to it.

He stopped coughing and there was never a sign of hives or even a red blotch, but I gave him a dose of Benadryl anyway.

I'm so upset that I didn't read the entire label!! Even though it's been said refined is OK, I just feel sick about bringing anything peanut into our house.

Well, I was trying to sound objective with my first post, but I'll second what everyone else has said. I knew there were studies out there on the PN oil, but didn't know exactly where.

You can count me in the "not with a ten foot pole" group. The mental hurdle of something labeled "PN" alone is enough to not do, not to mention fear of reaction.

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Lori Jo,

Rose, 7-31-02, PA
Noah, 7-29-05
Beatrice & Georgia, 8-14-99