Hope for the Future
Currently, the only treatment for food allergies is to avoid the suspect food, in all its incarnations. Having an emergency kit on your person at all times is essential. But researchers are working on possible treatments and cures that offer hope.
Researchers are working on a vaccine using genetically engineered proteins similar to those that cause the allergy, but that have been changed to reduce their effect.
Researchers have also found that mice bred to have a peanut allergy were missing a crucial molecule called Interlukin-12. This study has also shown that with peanut allergies, some of the immune cells last longer, which can provoke the immune system into a reaction. Interlukin-12 may be the missing factor that helps subdue this reaction.
Outgrowing Allergies
Many people can outgrow their food allergies, with the exception of allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Scientists think that avoiding that food for years may “reset” your body's immune system. Or, it may be that the immune system in the digestive tract matures and no longer reacts to that protein or proteins.
Children with allergies to soy, egg, milk, and wheat can outgrow their allergies; about 85 percent are no longer allergic at the age of five. Peanut allergies are usually lifelong, but 20 percent of children do outgrow it.
Scientists hope that food allergies may be eradicated in about ten years. They are currently working on many treatments that appear promising. So there is hope for the future. In the meantime, read labels, be prepared, and try to relax and enjoy life, knowing that you can take care of yourself.
Preventing Allergies
No one is sure why people develop food allergies in the first place. Some studies suggest that if food allergies run in a family, pregnant women should avoid those foods while they are pregnant and nursing. Other studies have found that there is no effect. The exception to this is peanuts. If there is a strong peanut allergy in your family, avoid peanuts while pregnant and nursing.
To help prevent food allergies, breastfeed your child until he is six months old, and avoid feeding him solid foods until that age. Add cow's milk to his diet after he is one year old, and introduce eggs only after the age of two. Add seafood and nuts to his diet when he is three years old, and be sure to add foods gradually as he grows. Introducing one new food at a time, waiting for a couple of weeks in between each introduction, will help you identify the food if he is allergic to it.
