Preservatives & Siblings Relation to Food Allergies

7/11/2016:  A Preservative Could Be Triggering Food Allergies 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awarded 1.5 million for research on tBHQ or tert-butylhydroquinone, a preservative approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1972.  This preservative appears to show a different impact on T cells which can trigger food allergies.  Oddly, this preservative is often not listed on food allergy labels.  [1]

7/25/2016:  Brothers and Sisters of Food Allergic Children

Apparent good news for the siblings of food allergic children has been found by Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Children's Hospital of Chicago in that a study including over 2,000 people where about one-half had allergies, found their siblings did not necessarily have food allergies at the same rate, but more along the rate of the general population. [2]

[1] http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2016/common-additive-may-be-why-you-have-food-allergies/

[2] http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Food-allergies-unlikely-to-run-in-the-family-study-suggests 

Food Allergy Treatments

7/9/2015:  University of Chicago Medicine Suports Food Allergy Treatments

Christina Ciaccio, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medicine and medical director of the new center of excellence, states, "We believe that in the near future we'll be able to offer patients new treatments that will decrease their likelihood of experiencing a severe allergic reaction and for some, may even offer a cure."  In addition to conducting trials for promising therapies, UChicago Medicine will collaborate with FARE and other centers to establish best practices for the care of patients with food allergies. [1]

7/15/2015:  Food Allergy Research & Education Funds Awareness

The popular associated known as FARE donated $143K to fund community initiatives to increase awareness about food allergies. Awareness is supported through group walks, reading materials for families and schools and family based conferences.  [2]

[1]  http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2015/20150709-fare.html

[2]  http://www.foodallergy.org/2015/071515

Food Allergy Research

Perhaps there is hope!  The National Institutes of Health granted $2.2 million to research food allergy triggers and possibly a way to eliminate allergies!  This was announced in October 2014. 

"Benaroya Research Institute receives $2.2 million to discover biomarker that triggers allergies."  Erik Wambre, PhD states, "If we can identify the biomarkers at the beginning of the allergic chain reaction we can get ahead of the symptoms and try to find a therapy that will eliminate the allergy at the first step."1

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

1 "Benaroya Research Institute receives $2.2 million to discover biomarker that triggers allergies"