Child Health – “Food Superallergies”: The First Italian Study Proves That They Can Be Cured with the Incriminated Allergen

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

Alas, good news for food allergy sufferers.  Although some children do grow out of their food allergies, many do not.  It is the hope of many parents of children with food allergies that their children will learn to healthfully cope with allergies.  A new study reveals a breakthrough technique that may help children overcome severe food allergies.

The study was conducted by the medical team of Pediatric Clinic of the University of Trieste, and was recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  The team demonstrated the ability to re-educate the cells of “superallergic” children to accept allergenic foods without suffering from severe reactions such as anaphylaxis. 

The study involved 60 Italian children classified as “superallergic” based on severity of food allergy reactions.  By the end of the 3 year study, 36% of the children had reached the ability to eat a normal diet without any adverse reactions.  In addition, 54% of the children were able to tolerate minimal amounts of the previously dangerous foods.  It is important to note many of these “superallergic” suffered severe allergic responses from their food allergies.

The researchers had long been seeking an alternative treatment for food allergies to the standard, regimented food avoidance method.  Food allergies, particularly to milk and eggs, have been on the rise in Europe as well affecting as many as 400,000 children.  This new method of desensitization involves 2 parts and takes place in the hospital; in case any severe allergic reactions occur.  Milk is administered in the hospital at 2 hour intervals with rapidly increasing doses and the child is discharged when they can tolerate 10 to 20 ml of pure milk.  With the help of parents, the second phase takes place at home where the child is given milk once a day at a much slower and more gradual pace of increasing amounts.  The child is then able to tolerate increasing amounts of milk with positive results occurring in about 1 year.

There are some risks with this method, so certainly do not try this at home.  Researchers feel however, the benefits may outweigh the risk.  The authors note that most children who follow a strict diet of food avoidance often come in contact with an allergenic food within 5 years and run the risk of suffering an even more severe reaction to that food.  While one third of the children studied can now eat a full range of foods, 10% did not respond to the treatment despite all the effort.  For now, food avoidance is the best treatment available.