Patch for Peanut Allergy Found Beneficial for Children

Researchers have come up with a new wearable patch for skin that claims to treat children and young adults with peanut allergy, finds a study. The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, suggested that small amounts of peanut protein through the skin showed promising benefits for younger children. The treatment, called epicutaneous immunotherapy or EPIT, was safe and well-tolerated, and nearly all participants used the skin patch daily as directed. “To avoid potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, people with peanut allergy must be vigilant about the foods…

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Baby’s Gut Microbiome Influences Risk of Allergy, Asthma

The microbes living in a baby’s gut within its first month of birth may directly impact the developing immune system as well as lead to a higher risk of allergies and asthma later in the childhood, finds a study. Gut microbes play a key role in processing dietary components such as fats, giving them a powerful influence over whether anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory molecules end up in the gut, the researchers said. The findings showed that one-month-old infants without anti-inflammatory lipids possessed abnormally high levels of resident fungal species. These infants…

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Childhood Antibiotic Use Linked To Higher Food Allergy Risk

Antibiotic treatment within the first year of life is associated with an increase in food allergy diagnosis, suggests new research. The researchers found that children prescribed antibiotics within the first year of life were 1.21 times more likely to be diagnosed with food allergy than children who hadn’t received an antibiotic prescription. “Overusing antibiotics invites more opportunity for side effects, including the potential development of food allergies, and can encourage antibacterial resistance,” said lead researcher Bryan Love from South Carolina College of Pharmacy in the US. The study involved analysis…

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Eating Peanuts Helps Infants Avoid Allergy, Even After Pause

Feeding infants small amounts of mashed-up peanuts early in life may help them avoid developing allergies, even if they stop eating peanuts for a year in early childhood, said researchers. The findings in the New England Journal of Medicine have prompted global health authorities to reconsider long-held advice that babies should avoid certain foods, amid a rise in potentially fatal peanut allergies among youths in recent years. “The early introduction of peanut to the diets of infants at high-risk of developing peanut allergy significantly reduces the risk of peanut allergy…

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