Latest Research On Food Allergies And Children

Studies about food allergies and children may have you scratching your head, wondering what these findings all mean. After all, past research said to keep children under the age of 3 away from known allergens like shellfish and peanuts. Now it seems they're saying the opposite is best -- to expose children to these foods sooner. A third school of thought says there is no way to prevent child food allergies from developing. If you suspect your child may have a food allergy or intolerance, then it's most important that you keep a record of your child's diet and symptoms. You may also benefit from knowing what sort of research is being done.

"Children Can Complete Treatment For Peanut Allergies And Achieve Long-Term Tolerance, Studies Suggest," reads a Science Daily headline. Duke University Medical Center doctors have been studying food allergies in children for a long time. At the beginning of the monitored clinical tests, participants with this type of nut allergy couldn't even tolerate one sixth of a peanut, yet within six months they were eating 13 to 15 peanuts before a reaction occurred. Nine of the thirty-three children in the study have been on maintenance therapy for over 2.5 years; of these children, 4 can now eat peanuts freely. "It appears these children have lost their allergies," explains Wesley Burks, MD. "This gives other parents and children hope that we'll soon have a safe, effective treatment that will halt allergies to certain foods. We see initial desensitization effects of the treatment are real," Burks says. "Those children are now able to eat up to 15 peanuts with no reaction, but the children not on treatment have symptoms early on in the study."

"Eczema In Children Is Increasing, But Diet Is Not The Cause, Study Suggests," reads a March 2009 food allergies and children headline. "Restricting children's diets can harm their health and growth, so parents need to be careful about acting on unproven theories about diet and eczema," said Professor Sawicki, the Institute's Director. "Trials have shown that eliminating foods like milk or eggs from the diet of small children with eczema probably only helps if they have proven food sensitivities. Formal allergy tests like the skin prick and challenge tests done with your doctor can help you get a more reliable picture of whether or not a suspected food really is causing the problem." The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care stresses that food allergies in infants are not always the culprit for eczema, and that the skin condition often clears up in its own.

You may wonder how your child's food allergy symptoms can be treated or eliminated. This is the biggest topic in the food allergies and children debate. Lead author Xiu-Min Li, M.D. of the Sinai School of Medicine thinks he may have the answer. His revolutionary new Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2 protected mice against anaphylactic shock for more than 36 weeks after treatment was discontinued. "Food allergy is a serious and sometimes fatal condition for which there is no cure," says Dr. Li. "Approximately 80% of fatal or near-fatal anaphylaxis cases are due to a peanut allergy in this country. There is an urgent need for effective therapies to prevent and treat those who suffer from food allergies and FAHF-2 could prove to be a major advancement in this field." Human trials are currently being conducted to see if FAHF-2 will prove effective against peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies. Co-author Hugh Sampson M.D. believes "this botanical drug has the potential to be developed into the first available and effective treatment for patients with peanut and other food allergies."

Related topics about Food Allergies and Children
Children's Food Allergies: FAQ
Children's food allergies can be difficult for a parent or adult to understand let alone a child. But educating your child is the best thing you can do. They may have lots of questions about why other kids can eat certain things but they cannot.

Kids With Food Allergies: Safety First
Of course, for part of the day, kids with food allergies are away from home. Therefore, it is important that you know how to deal with a food allergy in schools. When your child enters school, be sure you fill out paperwork regarding your child's condition (including what should be done in case of an allergic reaction, who to contact and what your child may eat while at school).

Dealing With Childhood Food Allergies
Rather than go through the time-consuming and money-consuming process of a Food Challenge, some parents would rather just shop carefully and try to make home life as normal as possible. Judy Phipps, owner of the Little Protégés early learning center, says she focuses her efforts on educating kids and parents about special diets for childhood food allergies. "We don't ever want to single a child out as being different.