Some people suffer from peanut allergies that are so severe that even contact with the tiniest amount of peanuts or peanut oil could lead to dangerous or even life threatening reactions.

In fact, it is believed that nearly 500,000 adults and children are at risk of experiencing anaphylactic shock if they come in contact with peanuts. Anaphylactic shock, which can trigger inflammation of the airways, causing breathing to stop, kills around a dozen people every year.

Many more of the thousands of people who carry Epi-pens have also experienced anaphylactic shock due to peanut contact but survived thanks to the timely delivery of life saving adrenaline.

However, some researchers believe they may have found a way to effectively treat people with life threatening peanut allergies through the use of a patch. The patch would be worn by people with severe peanut allergies and the device would release small amounts of peanut under the skin.

While the quantities would be small enough to prevent severe reactions, it may be enough to train the body to adapt to peanuts.

Dr Benhamou hopes that the use of the patch will one day allow people with allergies to eat peanuts.

"But I reckon most parents with allergic children would just settle for knowing that exposure to small amounts of protein would no longer be life threatening", he said.