Probiotics & Peanuts

3/4/2016:  More Data Supports Giving Peanut to Infants

A study in 2015 is supported by a report by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016 that reports infants who are given peanuts mashed up during their first year of life will have less likelihood of developing an allergy.  4% vs. 18% of the control group developed peanut allergy--the higher percentage was in the peanut avoidance group--both groups consisted of children considered high risk for allergies. [1]

3/16/2016:  One Strain of Probiotics Helps Most

According to a study in mice, it was found that the probiotic strain called Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium longum KACC 91563 helps most with food allergies.  This strain can influence the immune system to cause the mast cells triggering the allergic response to essentially die. [2]

[1] http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1514209

[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160316085011.htm 

Pregnancy & Delayed Allergies

1/20/16:  Peanuts During Pregnancy Have No Impact

The mother eating peanuts during pregnancy or while breastfeeding appears to have no impact on children developing (or not developing) food allergies according to a study that came out the prior month. [1]

1/26/16:  Delayed Allergies Are Getting More Notice

Immediate and delayed allergies (IgE and IgG) have produced some debate over the years, but now the IgG (delayed) are gaining more importance especially for milk allergy manifesting in eczema and mucus membrane related issues (sinuses).  [2]

[1]  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4675539/

[2]  https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-medicine/2016/01/26/prevalence-risk-factors-allergic-reactions-food/

Spain Presented on Peanut Patch

6/8/2015:  EAACI Congress in Spain Presented on Peanut Patch

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress held in Barcelona in June 2015 presented positive results in the treatment of peanut allergy via the patch called Viaskin Peanut.  It appears the patch is more beneficial than the oral or sublingual therapies.  More studies are underway thoughout 2015.  [1]   According to CNN Money in London, the patch was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for special fast track testing. [2]  If all goes well it may be released by 2018.

[1] http://www.dbv-technologies.com/en/investor-relations/regulated-information/2043,EAACI-presentation

[2] http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/23/news/companies/peanut-allergy-drug-patch/

Asthma and Peanut Allergy Symptoms

5/11/2015:  President Obama Raises Awareness

As May is the month of Food Allegy Awareness Week, President Obama prepared a written letter to encourage education and awareness of food allergies. 

5/11/2015:  Stanford Treatment Research for Food Allergies

Stanford's Dr. Nadeau is leading the way with desentsitization research using a drug to modify an allergic person's DNA cell to be like that of a non-allergic person.  Silicon Valley's Sean Parker donated $24 million to Stanford in support of this research.  See this 8 minute PBS video for more information about the study or this 1 minute video on the DNA.

5/18/2015:  Asthma and Peanut Allergy Have Same Symptoms

Children with asthma may not realize they are allergic to peanuts because the respiratory symptoms of peanut allergy reaction can look the same as an asthma attack. [1]

[1] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11450424

Antibiotics Causing Allergic Reactions

2/24/2015:  Viaskin(r) Data Presented at AAAAI Meeting Show Safety and Efficacy in the Treatment of Food Allergies

Some research is being done and presented by DBV Technologies on a product called Viaskin for treating food allergies through Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT®).  It appears that rather than eating tiny amounts of peanut like with sublingual immunotherapy treatment (SLIT) this method puts the food onto the skin and treats the allergic person in that way which is apparently a safer from a reaction perspective. [1]

2/23/2015:  New Study Shows Introducing Peanut Early in Life Prevents Development of Peanut Allergy

“Investigators tested the hypothesis that regularly eating foods containing peanut – if started during within the first year of life – could elicit a protective immune response rather than an allergic reaction….By the age of 5, just 3 percent of the children who ate the snack developed peanut allergy, while 17 percent in the avoidance group developed peanut allergy.” [2]

2/23/2015:  Antibiotics On Food Causing Children To Have Allergic Reactions To Fruits, Vegetables

Farmers are treating fruits and vegetables with an antibiotic called streptomycin that keeps bacteria, fungi and algae from growing on the foods.  Children are reacting to the fruits and vegetables, sometimes with anaphylaxis, even though they are not allergic to those foods.  The amount of antibiotic may vary. [3]

[1] http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/24/709012/10121591/en/Viaskin-r-Data-Presented-at-AAAAI-Meeting-Show-Safety-and-Efficacy-in-the-Treatment-of-Food-Allergies.html?parent=702298

[2]  http://www.foodallergy.org/2015/022315 

[3] http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/02/23/antibiotics-causing-children-to-have-allergic-reactions-to-fruits-vegetables/