The Bacteria That May One Day Cure Food Allergies

A major food issue in developed countries, to the point of emerging epidemic status, is food sensitivities/allergies, something that was not a concern to the majority of society until the past generation or so. This issue has affected food production to quite an extent, as producers must take into consideration any dietary restrictions those buying their product may have.

This article describes recent research that has found food allergies to be linked to the destruction of certain strains of bacteria in the gut. This destruction if caused by exposure to antibiotics/antimicrobial agents, in which the bacteria killed are never restored. The increasing rates of food allergies are likely due to the increasing frequency at which antibiotics are administered, especially to children.

Up to this point, the only way to handle a food allergy was to avoid exposure to those allergens. However, these recent advancements provide evidence that a strain of intestinal bacteria, Clostridia, is capable of decreasing peanut allergen levels after administration/injection. This is believed to occur due to their intimate contact of the bacteria with the immune system due to their proximity to the epithelial lining, which evokes protective responses. Clostridia is capable of forming stable spores, potentially allowing encapsulation as a potential treatment for food allergies.

Having food allergies of my own, this article is very enticing. This breakthrough has the potential to change the way our society approaches food. We currently have a mind-set of omission; we are focusing on what we want left out of food (i.e. gluten-free, no peanut contamination, no sugar added), rather than what we should be putting in our food.

If we are capable of minimizing food allergies, if not completely demolishing them, then we will find ourselves in a state of change amongst the majority of households in the developed world. This state of change will give us the opportunity to actively address our eating habits and the way we think of food. No longer dwelling on what foods we need to avoid, we can nurture our relationship with food.