Food Allergies Archives

Atopic Dermatitis, Peanuts, and Genetics

Allergists and immunologists for years have noted the association of skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and eczema and food allergies, especially allergies to peanuts. Heredity has also been a suspect in both conditions. But now there is more than anecdotal evidence.

A large group of researchers working in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland published their findings last year in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. They were attempting to identify if the genetic coding for filaggrin is a candidate gene in the etiology of peanut allergy. Filaggrin is a protein in epithelial cells. You can read the entire article here. The researchers concluded that FLG null mutations represent a highly significant genetic risk factor for atopic dermatitis and also are the single most significant genetic risk for peanut allergy that has been identified to date.

The reason I am writing about this today is because I just read a post two days ago by a respected allergist that indicated that some food allergies may disappear as a child matures. He specifically mentioned that this did not apply to peanut allergy. Could it be that the epithelial cells that line the digestive tract are the real culprit?

I’m not a doctor and I don’t have the answers. I do know that if you have peanut allergy or atopic dermatitis researchers are hard at work decoding the causes to find the cure.

Just something to think about….until next time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Cross Reactivity – Change Your Diet in Pollen Season?

Most of the allergy-related articles you read in the spring time cover avoiding your exposure to those pesky pollens.I have written several posts myself about what to do to minimize your exposure and reduce your allergic reactions if you have seasonal allergy.

Once thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the phenomenon of cross reactivity or oral allergy syndrome.

This occurs when a person has been sensitized to proteins found in certain tree pollens that are very similar in structure those found in foods.

For example, the birch tree (a big pollen producer and the enemy of many a hay fever sufferer) produces a pollen called Bet v1 that is similar to plants in the apple, plum, and parsley family. Because the chemical structure of the protein in the pollen is so close to the structure found in the food, your body gets confused and thinks that juicy apple is a nose full of birch pollen. For the botanically challenged, that means apples, pears, plums and prunes, peaches, apricots, cherries, almonds, carrot, celery, fennel, parsley, and parsnip may be seen by your immune system as birch trees. The reaction is a result of cross reactivity, not a true allergic reaction to the food.

During the birch pollen season, you might want to reduce or eliminate your consumption of these in their raw state. In the case of oral allergy syndrome, you will want to eliminate them year-around. The good news is that like all proteins, these cross reacting pan proteins can be denatured (or broke down). Now that doesn’t mean that you can spray your food with ADMS Spray to denature the way you would with dust mite allergy. What is does mean is that you can apply heat to break that protein down. So, while a raw apple might cause symptoms, apple sauce, apple juice, or apple pie might not. That is because the cooking process (whether stove top, oven or microwave) will raise the temperature of the food high enough to neutralize the pesky protein.

None of this is “new” news. A study done back in 1998 and published in The Journal of Immunology determined that alder pollen was just as bad as birch pollen. It just doesn’t seem to get much attention, so I thought I would bring it up.

Do any of you have any problems with oral allergy syndrome or do your pollen allergies make it harder to eat certain foods? I’d love to hear your stories and how you cope with it..

Til Next Time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Does Your Pet Have Pet Food Allergies?

Did you ever think some of your pet’s ailments may be related to the food you are feeding them? Pets have food allergies just like people. Pet food is big business, in 2010 we spent 18.7 billion dollars to feed our pets. I didn’t personally spend that entire amount but it did feel like a lot. No matter what you spend, your pets symptoms may be a result of pet food allergies

With that much money involved competition is fierce among the various manufacturers of pet food. So, you can imagine that quality and good nutrition may not be at the top of the list for some companies.

There are regulations for the production of pet food.

“The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled.” Read Regulations

But just like the food we eat, you need to read the labels carefully when you are deciding what you want to get “Miss Kitty” to eat this week. Make sure you know what “meat-and-bone meal” and “by-products” on the outside of the bag actually mean. We stay away from products with artificial colors or flavors, corn (cheap filler), wheat gluten, meal, byproducts and other cheap fillers.

When times are hard we all try to find ways to cut back on expenses, just don’t do it with the pets. A trip to the vet is not any cheaper that a visit to the doctor. Any cheap pet food may result in pet food allergies.

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause

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