Allergy

Publications, Videos and News

Allergies are increasing worldwide and it’s estimated that by 2050, one out of every two people will have an allergy. Most patients find there is no cure for their condition. Allergy sufferers’ quality of life is negatively impacted by their condition, and children are most affected. The dramatic rise in infant immune diseases, most notably allergies , indicates the specific vulnerability of the immune system to early environmental changes. Early nutrition interventions, based on the latest health science, can have a long-lasting effect on childhood allergies.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are nine major food allergen types. More than 160 foods have been identified to cause food allergies in sensitive individuals. There are  also several food ingredients that cause nonallergic hypersensitivity reactions in sensitive individuals that require specific labelling. Broadly speaking, these are milk, eggs, fish, crustation shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.

For a long time, scientists have focused on city environments as the main cause. However, in recent years, a large number of studies are beginning to show links between diet and an increased risk of allergies. Researchers are now looking at factors such as different types of foods, food processing and fat intake to explain the increased incidence of allergic disease.

In an African context, allergies have been found to be on the rise. A study was conducted to determine the risk and preventive factors associated with allergies in children living in rural and urban area. The study evaluated an unselected 12–36-month-old toddlers from urban Cape Town (1185 participants) and 398 from the rural Eastern Cape. Study methods comprised a questionnaire and skin prick tests (SPT) with egg, peanut, cow's milk, fish, soya, wheat, and hazelnut allergens. Participants with positive SPT and history of food intolerance underwent an open oral food challenge (OFC). The prevalence of food allergy was 2.5% (95% CI, 1.6%–3.3%) in urban children. Sensitisation to any food was significantly higher in urban (9.0%) than in rural residents (2.8%). In the rural black African cohort 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1%–1.8%) of children had food allergies (FA). This was significantly lower than that encountered in the urban cohort as a whole (2.5%) and urban black Africans (2.9%; 95% CI 1.5%–4.3%; p = 0.006). The results denote that the prevalence of FA in Cape Town is comparable to that in industrialized middle-income countries.

Food allergy in Africa is not rare but rather under-diagnosed. Current data is insufficient to perform systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses due to inconsistent research methods and a wide diversity of allergens. Most data is based on self-reported data or food allergen sensitisation rather than oral challenge testing.

It has been found that many food allergies can be caused simply by a person’s diet during childhood. This includes whether a baby has been breastfed from birth. Many studies are now showing links between breastfeeding and allergic risk but with varying explanations. It is  believed that breastfeeding has a ‘protective’ effect. Food allergies can also be associated with conditions such as Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disease that typically manifests in early childhood. It may precede the development of other atopic disorders, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. 

Food allergies currently cannot be cured. Early recognition and learning how to manage food allergies, including which foods to avoid, are important measures that healthcare professionals can use to help their patients prevent serious health consequences. It is still unclear what is causing the increase in allergic disease. However, there are several things that can be done to reduce risk.

Risk reducing factors include eating a healthy low-fat diet containing a balance of both saturated and unsaturated fats, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as a regular intake of fish. For mothers with infants, it is ideal to breast feed them for at least six months. If a woman is at high risk of allergies, test for them prior to pregnancy to help decide whether certain foods should be excluded from her diet. 

Here you can access information on all aspects of the subject, including proper timing of introductions of allergenic foods, cow’s milk protein allergy, food tolerance and more.

Special Milk
1 topic
"Special" Infant Milks: Which or What!

Breast is best! But if breastfeeding is not possible, which “special formula” is most suitable?

Food Allergies
1 topic
What are the symptoms of food allergies?

A food allergy is an abnormal response by the immune system to a food which is usually harmless

Food allergy
1 topic
Food reactions - Allergy or intolerance

Reactions to food include allergies and intolerances, which are often confused but have some important differences!

Allergy Prevention
1 topic
Allergy Prevention - Do's & Don'ts

Children with a family history of any allergies in a first degree relative (mother/father or sibling) are at much
higher risk of allergies. Here you can find the do's and don'ts for allergy prevention.

Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy - Diagnosis & Management
1 topic
Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy - Diagnosis & Management

Cow's milk protein allergy or CMPA is one of the most common food allergies in infants. CMPA is also a real challenge for clinicians to rapidly diagnose those truly affected and to identify those who will benefit from the management of cow's milk protein allergy.

HMOs in Allergies: Current Understanding
1 topic
HMOs in Allergies: Current Understanding

HMOs support the development of healthy immunity shown by a growing body of evidence. The underlying mechanisms also seem to play a role in allergy. This is supported by new evidence that points to a promising pathway for HMOs in the context of allergy prevention and management.

Allergens
1 topic
Introduction of Highly Allergenic Foods in a High-Risk Population

Delayed introduction of complementary feeding for high-allergenic foods does not reduce allergy risk, as evidenced in the LEAP, EAT and PETIT clinical trials. It was found that early introduction of allergenic foods, between 4-6 months of age, was beneficial in high-risk infants.

Early Introduction of a Multi-allergen Mixture for Prevention of Food Allergy
1 topic
Early Life Nutrition and Immune Development

Professor Kari Nadeau describes the results from a study that evaluated different strategies for the early introduction of food allergens and highlights that consumption of even small quantities of a multi-allergen mixture for one year was associated with improvements in subsequent food challenge reactivity compared with single or double food introductions.

13 min watch
Evaluating a Daily Multi-allergen Mixture
1 topic
Early Data from the INTENT Study: Evaluating a Daily Multi-allergen Mixture

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson outlines the development of a 16-food allergen mixture and describes the rationale and design of the INTENT study, which will evaluate the potential benefits of this product to support early food allergen introduction.

15 min watch