Determining Reaction Level of Food Allergens

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study on the level of food allergens required to cause an allergic reaction to people sensitive to them.

An allergic reaction happens when the body's immune system reacts to a specific food type. Common types of food allergies include milk, eggs, some fruit and vegetables, and nuts. Reactions can be as mild as an itchy sensation or can be life threatening (Anaphylaxis).

The researchers wanted to find a level of allergen which would only produce a reaction in the most sensitive ten percent of people with food allergies.

The number of people who have food allergies has increased in recent decades with around 5-7% of infants and 1-2% of adults at risk. The study aims to develop warning guidelines and food labels that would help inform consumers about the allergen levels in a given product since different people have different allergen tolerance than others.

Mothers Who Eat Peanuts During Pregnancy Lowers Risk of Peanut Allergy in Children

A new study by doctors in Boston Children's Hospital show that increased consumption of peanuts by pregnant mothers lower risk of peanut allergy in their babies. The study is based on mothers who are not allergic to peanuts.

Peanut allergies are a type of allergy where a person gets an allergic reaction from consuming peanuts and its derivatives. Peanut allergies are common in children. The reactions range from minor skin irritations to anaphylaxis (a life threatening reaction). For some people who has this allergy, even a tiny amount of peanut can cause a serious reaction.

Peanut allergies and other type of food allergies are caused when the proteins from the food is mistakenly considered a threat to the body by the immune system. The immune system releases chemicals to combat the presumed threat and causes the allergic reaction.

The latest study is still in its early stages to strongly prove that peanut consumption will lower peanut allergies. But what it does show is that eating peanuts even when pregnant does not cause the allergy to manifest in the mother's offspring.