Food Allergy Documentary

Discovery Channel Documentary

Did you get a chance to watch the Discovery documentary, "An Emerging Epidemic: Food Allergies in America"? If not, you can view the 53 minute show online when you get a chance. A word of caution: it is graphic and may not be appropriate for kids. I would advise parents to preview it first.

I do think the documentary was well-done, but it is tricky to produce an educational film for different populations. It is a great piece for adults directly impacted by food allergies. It is also a learning opportunity for those not directly impacted by food allergies. This documentary can raise awareness about anaphylaxis and the dangers of food allergies. It can educate grandparents, teachers, coaches, babysitters and others who may come in contact with people with food allergies. 

Eating out with Food Allergy

It is a hopeful piece. To hear teens and adults talk about how they don't let food allergies "define them" and that you can "overcome obstacles" is a wonderful message for parents and young people who deal with food allergies. It is a thought-provoking piece. Why is it that food allergy rates have doubled in children since the late 1990's? There has been much research into causes and treatments, but there is still a long way to go to determine why more people are allergic to foods and how to best manage living with food allergy.

I also appreciated the term "threshold" used in the documentary to describe that everyone with food allergy has a different level of tolerance. This makes sense to me as a way to specifically address food allergy to others like the school nurse, restaurant staff, the school cafeteria, or caretakers. Every person with food allergies has different needs and it is up to parents, and eventually the food allergic person, to articulate those needs to others. 

Dr. Gupta

A shout out to Dr. Ruchi Gupta who was interviewed in this documentary. She is a strong food allergy advocate in her roles as a doctor and a parent of a food allergic child. Thank you to FARE and Mylan for their support of this show. Education and awareness is the key to keeping everyone with food allergies safe. After you watch the documentary, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!

Food Allergy Treatment Options

For over a decade we've been told strict avoidance is the only "treatment" for food allergy. Finally we are hearing about, and starting to actually see, some real treatments for food allergies. A new e-book co-authored by Michele Hanson and Dr. Wesley Burks, "The Future of Food Allegy Therapeutics," discusses current treatments, as well as what's coming down the pipeline. There are many promising advances for food allergy treatment:

• immunotherapy as a method of desensitization
• adding anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies to immunotherapy
• antigen-fixed leukocytes
• vaccines containing modified recombinant food proteins coadministered with heat-killed Escherichia coli 
• Chinese herbal formulation,
•  anti-IgE mAbs 
• Trichuris suis ova therapy- (translation: eggs of the pig whipworm)

I've provided news links about each of these treatments as a point of reference. Talk to your allergist about these, or other possible treatments, for food allergies. I'm confident we will be hearing more about treating food allergies, rather than avoiding foods, in the coming years.

Food Allergy and Teenagers

We've heard it before- death from anaphylaxis peaks during the teenage and young adult years.
This statement is enough to stop any parent cold in their tracks. After protecting our precious children for so many years, it's horrifying to think that they will be casual about their food allergies.

 A recent study in the U.K. involved questionaires and interviews of young people between the ages of 11-18 with food allergies. The research sought to understand the challenges faced by this group. The preiminary results of this study are out.

It seems that teenagers are not concerned with "may contain" labels, thinking it unlikely the food contains the allergen. They take thier epinephrine only if they think there may be a risk of a reaction. Many do not now what to do if they have a reaction.

We should not let this information shoch us into inaction. Instead, use it to have a dialog with your children. They must carry their medicine with them- ALWAYS. They must not eat anything that may be unsafe. They must know the steps to take if they think they may be having a reaction. Hook your tween/teen up with FAAN Teen where there is conversation among peers about how to manage food allergy during this critical time of development.
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You only have until this Friday to enter the Ian's Food Give-Away.

Food Allergy Research Funded

Last Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health announced that the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR), established in 2005, will be funded for five more years. This is a 29.9 million dollar grant and is great news for those affected by food allergy. From low allergy peanuts to polyphenol-enriched apple extract to desensitizing people to their allergens, there is incredible research happening in the area of food allergy right now.

"We are pleased to continue our support of CoFAR, NIAID’s major program dedicated to exploring the causes of food allergy and developing new treatment and prevention strategies," says Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation at NIAID. CoFAR plans to expand research into the genetic components of food allergy and broaden research into disorders such as EoE.

This is much needed money for scientists to continue to unlock the puzzle of food allergy. After a LONG dry spell, food allergy is finally getting the attention and funds to address causes and treatment. That's great news for millions of people!

Go European Scientists!

Check out this research team in Europe who will be looking at modified food proteins in an effort to unlock the food allergy puzzle. They will be specifically targeting fish and fruit allergy, but I would think that any break-through may have an impact on other foods as well. Let's keep a close eye on this one. Makes sense that by modifying the food protein, the allergy reaction can be changed.