The Peanut Puzzle, The New Yorker food allergy discussion

The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting discussed changes in recommendations pertaining to food allergies, and today's edition of  The New Yorker reiterates some of those concerns.Composed by Jerome Goopman, The Peanut Puzzle asks "Could the conventional wisdom of children and allergies be wrong?"Central to the article are Dr. Hugh Sampson, the director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and Dr. Scott Sicherer, a pediatric allergist who is also at Mount Sinai. Their extensive studies throughout the United States that show that the rate of allergy is rising sharply, estimating that three to five per cent of the population is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, or seafood.Observations of differing cultures and child rearing practices relative to childhood food allergies question the belief that children are far less likely to become allergic to problematic foods if they are not exposed to them as infants. Sampson and other specialists believe that early exposure may actually help prevent food allergies.Included in the article, Dr Gideon Lack of St. Mary's London believes that a child becomes tolerant to a variety of food proteins through exposure in the first six months of life. Lack’s research has gradually gained influence with leading allergists, including Hugh Sampson. Sampson believes that some eighty per cent of infants who are allergic to eggs or milk will outgrow the allergy by their teen-age years, and that preventing them from being fed products with these foods may prolong the time that takes.The Peanut Puzzle reviews childhood food allergy rates by different cultures and geographic regions. For example, Isreali children show very little peanut allergy due to a early exposure to a popular snack, Bamba.  And non-western cultures, without prepackaged baby foods and blenders, chew their young children’s food before administering the meal to the child,  facilitating a breakdown of complex proteins by enzymes in the adults' saliva.The radical shift in practical food allergy prevention can be confusing.  Please consult you healthcare provider.  Do not make any changes in allergy treatment plans without consulting your physician. Is your family affected by childhood food allergies? If you have questions, concerns or would like a consultation, please contact my office at 866-632-5537 or book online at NYCAllergyDoctor.comRead The Peanut Puzzle Abstract or with a digital subscription read the entire article