A review of food allergy, including food allergy classification and diagnosis, has been published in the journal Allergology International (DOI: 10.2332_allergolint.09-RAI-0138) and is currently available free on-line.

The authors, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, provide a useful schematic of different adverse reactions to food, including food intolerance. There is also an overview of the epidemiology (primarily USA data), pathogenesis and diagnosis of food allergy, followed by several sections discussing various current and future treatments and therapies.

A brief section of the review article deals with international (Japan and USA) food labelling regulations which are intended to assist allergic consumers in avoiding food allergens. Attention then turns to recently published research into immunotherapy, Chinese herbal therapies and genetically modified hypoallergenic proteins.

Many reviews of food allergy have been published recently, usually discussing the latest research from a specific angle. However, with less than half of the references cited in this review published within the last 5 years, this article finds a balance between presenting some of the latest food allergy research alongside essential studies that are no longer frequently-cited. Those who do not have easy access to scientific literature are likely to find this paper a useful resource. Go to ai.jsaweb.jp or contact the Allergen Bureau.

Reference: Cianferoni and Spergel. 2009. Allergology International. Vol 58(4) DOI: 10.2332_allergolint.09-RAI-0138.