Recent studies are showing that introducing very young children to the most common allergenic foods gradually can prevent food allergies later in life. A new study shows that microdose immunotherapy can not only help prevent food allergies, but actually cure them.

Food Allergy Statistics

About 17 to 18 million US citizens have allergies to at least one food, and there is a 65 percent chance of their children inheriting these allergies. It is estimated that one-quarter of food-allergic people will suffer an episode of anaphylaxis during their lifetime, a condition that causes 90,000 visits to the emergency room each year. The most common food allergies are to

• cow's milk
• tree nuts
• eggs
• wheat
• shellfish
• soy
• peanuts
• fish

Promising Trials and Studies

Food allergy trials conducted over the past ten years at several prominent medical facilities have shown that children can safely be desensitized to eggs, milk, and peanuts, but the patients were only treated for one allergen at a time. In 2009, a trial was conducted involving pediatric patients with multiple food allergies, where patients were treated for up to five allergies at a time.

Oral Immunotherapy Protocol

Patients were given microdoses of allergens daily, such as 1/7000 of an egg, 1/200 of a peanut or 1/300 of a cashew. Doses were increased every two weeks, and when they reached a level that caused a reaction in a patient, the child was kept on that dosage until his or her body adjusted. This process would have taken years to complete at that rate, but researchers found that by also giving patients injections of the asthma drug omalizumab (Xolair), they were able to complete treatment in as little as four months.

Required Daily Exposure to Allergens

The one downside to the trial is that each patient must consume their allergenic foods every day. Initially, they must eat full servings until their blood work and skin tests come back negative for the allergy. This can take from six months to three years, after which they are able to eat a much smaller daily amount. Because some children did not react well to being forced to eat things they didn't want, many subsequent studies lost up to a third of their participants.

Success Rate

For those who continued through to the end, the treatment has had a 100 percent success rate. This proves that every person's body has the capability to adapt, even adults'. This eight-year study of oral immunotherapy has proven that those who continue with the therapy have no recurrence of their allergies. Unfortunately, for those who stopped eating their allergy-inducing foods, their allergies fully returned within six months. 

If you or your child suffers from food allergies, ask an immunologist about oral immunotherapy (OIT) and if they feel it would be beneficial. The therapy is considered experimental, but is covered by many insurance companies. Speak with a representative from an establishment like Allergy & Asthma Clinic of Wyoming LLC to get started.