Peanut and Other Allergies

[rnatalli]

Let me say, I understand that allergies are real and have seen people suffer an allergic reaction to peanuts which isn't pretty. What I can't understand, is why this has suddenly appeared over the past 30 years. When I was a kid, everyone around me ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and no one had an allergy to it. Yes, some of this is due to heightened awareness, but that can't account for all these cases. So what the heck is going on?

 

[its phillip]

I wasn't around 30 years ago, but here are some of my guesses:
1) the internet makes it much easier to hear about stuff that happened all the time previously but nobody really heard about it
2) increasing population = increasing number of people with allergies
3) we eat a lot of genetically modified or chemically treated crap and might not understand potential hereditary/long term effects

sorry for any poor wording. i'm not feeling very well right now and am not thinking as clearly as i should be

 

[ImcLoud]

I remember a bunch of kids in school allergic to PB and bee stings... We used to be able to bring PB to school but my kids can not bring it.. They still do, though, nuts are a huge part of our diet as a family, my wife is vegan so 90% of what we eat has nuts in it, lol...

 

[Swerd]

Good question.

I wasn't around 30 years ago, but here are some of my guesses:
1) the internet makes it much easier to hear about stuff that happened all the time previously but nobody really heard about it
2) increasing population = increasing number of people with allergies
3) we eat a lot of genetically modified or chemically treated crap and might not understand potential hereditary/long term effects

sorry for any poor wording. i'm not feeling very well right now and am not thinking as clearly as i should be

Sorry you're not feeling well. Hope you get better soon.

I think your guess #1 hits close. These allergies may have always been around, but fewer people were aware of them.

My own 2¢: Clean water supply, widely available antibiotics, and public immunization have made dangers from life threatening infectious diseases, such as polio, fade away. As a result, our fears get replaced by new, previously unnoticed health dangers.

Today cancer is a big source of fear and loathing. In a world where people didn't live to their 70s and beyond because they died of diptheria, measles, or tuberculosis, who worried about cancer?

I remember a bunch of kids in school allergic to PB and bee stings... We used to be able to bring PB to school but my kids can not bring it...

Thirty or forty years ago, schools weren't scared to death of parents who filed law suits. They ban peanut butter sandwiches only because they're scared of the liability costs.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Nod. When I was a kid, people could bring in deserts or food without worrying about killing half the class. There were people with maybe a peanut allergy or lactose intolerant, but, that was about it.

I agree with its phillip on it being multi-factor. I think he listed the biggies, but, a few more:
1. There is a hypothesis that we keep kids TOO CLEAN and so they don't develop natural immunities.
2. I've also read that over-use of antibiotics has a possible correlation.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Nod. When I was a kid, people could bring in deserts or food without worrying about killing half the class. There were people with maybe a peanut allergy or lactose intolerant, but, that was about it.

I agree with its phillip on it being multi-factor. I think he listed the biggies, but, a few more:
1. There is a hypothesis that we keep kids TOO CLEAN and so they don't develop natural immunities.
2. I've also read that over-use of antibiotics has a possible correlation.

I totally agree with this. I also wonder about the heavy reliance on C-Sections these days. Very few children pass through the birth canal anymore and I wonder (re: natural immunities) if that predisposes children to certain things like the increasing risk to allergies?

 

[its phillip]

My case is anecdotal and based on a sample size of one, but I don't believe I was kept too clean nor do I believe my parents gave me too many antibiotics. I definitely wasn't much of an outdoor kid but I wasn't in a bubble, either. I also rarely went to the doctor as a child and we did move a couple times being a military family so I was exposed to various environments.

My sisters don't have similar issues (they've got their own) but I'm stuck with being severely lactose intolerant, irritable bowel syndrome, tree nut allergies, and a ton of environmental allergies. I now go to doctors fairly regularly. Probably been prescribed antibiotics about a half dozen times as well :/

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I totally agree with this. I also wonder about the heavy reliance on C-Sections these days. Very few children pass through the birth canal anymore and I wonder (re: natural immunities) if that predisposes children to certain things like the increasing risk to allergies?

It's certainly possible. A friends child has Autism, and so I've been trending that to learn more. The cause is basically still unknown, despite some correlations, but one topic that has come up is a link between c-sections and autism. I think it is still being investigated.

What ever happened to how much mapping the human genome was going to do for us? hehe.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

My case is anecdotal and based on a sample size of one, but I don't believe I was kept too clean nor do I believe my parents gave me too many antibiotics. I definitely wasn't much of an outdoor kid but I wasn't in a bubble, either. I also rarely went to the doctor as a child and we did move a couple times being a military family so I was exposed to various environments.

My sisters don't have similar issues (they've got their own) but I'm stuck with being severely lactose intolerant, irritable bowel syndrome, tree nut allergies, and a ton of environmental allergies. I now go to doctors fairly regularly. Probably been prescribed antibiotics about a half dozen times as well :/

I think by 'too clean' it's more like: we now grow up where everything is anti-bacterial: from garbage bags, to water bottles, etc. Then combine this with doctors often giving kids anti-biotics for simple colds, and, a theory is we kill lots of good bacteria in addition to the bad. One of the downsides is the diversity of the bacteria we have in our bodies is going down, which, is the sort of thing that could cause everything from IBS to allergies. I think a lot of sickness now adays is also stress related. Lots of stress comes out in physical ways. I sometimes get a rash on my arm when I'm stressed. That's a physical thing.. pretty interesting.

 

[3db]

I wasn't around 30 years ago, but here are some of my guesses:
1) the internet makes it much easier to hear about stuff that happened all the time previously but nobody really heard about it
2) increasing population = increasing number of people with allergies
3) we eat a lot of genetically modified or chemically treated crap and might not understand potential hereditary/long term effects

sorry for any poor wording. i'm not feeling very well right now and am not thinking as clearly as i should be

I think #3 is the culprit and #1 is the symptom. GMF foods are bad period. Gluten allergies was unheard of in my youth (I'm in m y early 50s) and now its become common. Monsanto, that corporate whore, has polluted the grain stalks with GMF versions such that the proteins are built on longer more complex strands compared to unmodified grain strands. These longer more complex protein strands are much more difficult to break down in our digestive system causing what is perceived as a gluten allergy. Addding to the GMF problem is that of produce that is picked in its unripened state with low nutrient counts and then made to ripen through chemical processes (adding no additional nutrients) so that it looks pretty on the grocery shelf. Yep, its all bad.

About the peanuts... and now add soy to the mix, its in almost everything we eat in one form or another and too much of a good thing is always bad.

 

[3db]

Good question.



Today cancer is a big source of fear and loathing. In a world where people didn't live to their 70s and beyond because they died of diptheria, measles, or tuberculosis, who worried about cancer?

Thirty or forty years ago, schools weren't scared to death of parents who filed law suits. They ban peanut butter sandwiches only because they're scared of the liability costs.

I'm in my 50s and I still remember the adds about raising money for cancer research when I was under a teen.

 

[3db]

I think by 'too clean' it's more like: we now grow up where everything is anti-bacterial: from garbage bags, to water bottles, etc. Then combine this with doctors often giving kids anti-biotics for simple colds, and, a theory is we kill lots of good bacteria in addition to the bad. One of the downsides is the diversity of the bacteria we have in our bodies is going down, which, is the sort of thing that could cause everything from IBS to allergies. I think a lot of sickness now adays is also stress related. Lots of stress comes out in physical ways. I sometimes get a rash on my arm when I'm stressed. That's a physical thing.. pretty interesting.

I agree with this too. I grew up on a farm, drank unpasturized milk from our milk cows, ate vegetables raw right out of the garden (pulling carrots out of the ground, and wiping the earth on my t shirt ..my mom loved me for that one) and eating it. Yet I never got the flu more than once every 2 years when my classmates would be off sick regularily. Today's youth do not have the antibodies we have in our defense aresonal to fight of the germs like we had when we were youg.

 

[MinusTheBear]

[h=1]C-Section Babies 5 Times More Likely To Develop Allergies
[/h] Wednesday 27 February 2013 - 12am PST




Allergy
Pediatrics / Children's Health


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C-section babies are five times more likely to develop allergies by age two than those born naturally.

The finding came from a new study conducted by researchers from Henry Ford Hospital and was presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology yearly meeting in San Antonio.

The findings coincide with previous research which demonstrated that babies born by c-section are more likely to have asthma than babies delivered naturally.

A different report showed that caesarean section babies have an increased risk of food allergies and diarrhea during their first year of life.

The new report indicated that c-section (cesarean section) babies are more vulnerable to allergies. They found that the chance of developing allergies for c-section babies is five times greater than for those born naturally when exposed to high levels of common allergens in the home, including those from cats, dogs, and dust mites.

Leading author Christine Cole Johnson, Ph.D., MPH, chair of Henry Ford Department of Health Sciences, said:

"This further advances the hygiene hypothesis that early childhood exposure to microorganisms affects the immune system's development and onset of allergies. We believe a baby's exposure to bacteria in the birth canal is a major influencer on their immune system."​

In the gastrointestinal tract of babies born by c-section, there is a pattern of "at risk" microorganisms that may cause them to be more vulnerable to developing the antibody Immunoglobulin E, or IgE, when in contact with allergens, according to Dr. Johnson.

It is known that IgE is associated with the development of asthma and allergies.

For the purpose of the study, the experts at Henry Ford set out to assess the role of early exposure to allergens and analyze how this exposure has an impact on the link between c-section and the development of IgE.

A total of 1,258 newborns were involved in the investigation from 2003 until 2007 and were assessed at 4 different times: at one month old, six months, one year, and two years.

The researchers gathered data from:

• the baby's umbilical cord and stool
• breast milk
• household dust
• blood samples from the baby's mother and father
• family history of allergy or asthma
• household pets
• tobacco smoke exposure
• medication use
• baby illnesses
• pregnancy variables

The research received funding from Henry Ford Hospital and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Written by Sarah Glynn

C-Section Babies 5 Times More Likely To Develop Allergies - Medical News Today

 

[MinusTheBear]

By: Jane Gerster Staff Reporter, Published on Mon Aug 25 2014



The identification of allergy-protecting bacteria living in your gut paves the way for new treatment options in the fight against growing food allergy rates, say scientists from the University of Chicago.


A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found Clostridia, a common type of gut bacteria, minimizes allergen exposure and prevents sensitization in mice by causing an immune reaction that prevents food allergens from entering their bloodstream.


Food allergies have been on the rise in western culture in recent years. In the United States, allergy rates have jumped roughly 50 per cent between 1997 and 2011, linked through studies to antibiotic and antimicrobial use. Around 2.5 million Canadians have self-reported at least one food allergy, with Anaphylaxis Canada labelling it a “growing public health issue.”


“All of these different western lifestyle stimuli including antibiotics, high-fat diets, Cesarean birth, formula feeding … have changed the way our immune system is stimulated and changed the populations of bacteria that are present in the gut, collectively making us more susceptible to a number of diseases” including allergies, said Cathryn Nagler, the study’s senior author and Bunning food allergy professor at the University of Chicago.


Identifying Clostridia as an allergy protection could help combat that susceptibility.

Nagler’s team tested mice born germ-free and those treated with antibiotics, exposing them to peanut allergens eliciting strong immunological responses in both. When scientists then reintroduced Clostridia bacteria, they were able to reverse the mice’s food allergen sensitization. When they tried the same process with Bacteroides, other common gut bacteria, there was no change.


“The fact that we could show so clearly that this particular bacterial population regulated the detection of the allergen in the blood stream was a big surprise,” Nagler said, but now, “we can use the information in this study to develop novel probiotic therapies, taking these bacteria and developing them as a drug.”

There’s currently no treatment for allergies, although specialists try antigen-desensitization protocol, essentially giving kids tiny amounts orally of what they’re allergic to. A Clostridia drug could help with that, Nagler says.

And while more study is needed, Dr. Paul Keith, president of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said it’s “very interesting research.”

“It gives people hope that there may be some way that we can re-teach the gut to react,” he said.

Bacteria study offers hope in fight against food allergies | Toronto Star

 

[Swerd]

A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found Clostridia, a common type of gut bacteria, minimizes allergen exposure and prevents sensitization in mice by causing an immune reaction that prevents food allergens from entering their bloodstream.

After seeing your post, I read that paper. It's getting a lot of attention from the popular press.

Commensal bacteria protect against food allergen sensitization

This link doesn't open the whole paper. At work, I can get that link for anyone who wants.

I'm no immunologist, but the idea makes a lot of sense. And if this holds up, it answers a number of previously unanswered questions about all the food and other allergies that have appeared in the last generation or two.

This finding suggests that something in our diet or environment has killed off large populations of bacteria, normally in our gut. I think the number one culprit might be the antibiotic drugs fed to virtually all commercially raised cattle, pigs and chicken. This may be too simple an explanation, but it has to be examined.

 

[Swerd]

Here is the link to the full text of that paper:

Sign In

(It may be that you can view the full text of this paper only if your computer is linked to a library with online access to this journal.)

And here is the abstract:

Abstract

Environmentally induced alterations in the commensal microbiota have been implicated in the increasing prevalence of food allergy. We show here that sensitization to a food allergen is increased in mice that have been treated with antibiotics or are devoid of a commensal microbiota. By selectively colonizing gnotobiotic mice, we demonstrate that the allergy-protective capacity is conferred by a Clostridia-containing microbiota. Microarray analysis of intestinal epithelial cells from gnotobiotic mice revealed a previously unidentified mechanism by which Clostridia regulate innate lymphoid cell function and intestinal epithelial permeability to protect against allergen sensitization. Our findings will inform the development of novel approaches to prevent or treat food allergy based on modulating the composition of the intestinal microbiota.

And the last paragraph of the Discussion section:

Direct evidence for environment-induced dysbiosis in the increasing prevalence of food allergy among children is just beginning to emerge. Studies have tied urinary levels of the commonly used antibacterial agent triclosan to food and aeroallergen sensitization (30) and prepartal or neonatal Abx use to cow’s milk allergy in infancy (31). Clostridia are enriched in the colon of both mice and humans (14). Recent work has shown that Clostridia strains isolated from healthy human feces potently induce Tregs in the colonic LP upon transfer to GF mice (17), suggesting our findings may be translatable to human disease. Oral and s.c. allergen-specific desensitization protocols are already showing promise for treating food allergy (32). Our data suggest that tolerance-inducing protocols could be effectively paired with Clostridia enrichment of gut microbiota to potentiate antigen-specific tolerance to prevent or treat food allergy.