Understanding adult-onset food allergies

Monday, 23 August 2010 09:42

It has been previously thought that people who are able to consume foods without any symptoms of allergy have gained immune tolerance via the gastrointestinal tract. Over time, many adults will become sensitised to foods they have previously tolerated, and it has been suggested that alternative routes of sensitisation may be responsible for this altered immune status.

Researchers in Italy have reviewed the recent medical literature to obtain a better understanding of how sensitization to food allergens may occur outside the intestinal tract. They discuss recent findings about mechanisms of tolerance and sensitization to foods in relation to the respiratory tract or the skin.

Reference: Asero & Antonicelli. 2010. International Archives of Allergy & Immunology. Vol. 154(1) pp. 6-14.