New research suggests that beating childhood egg allergy is literally a piece of cake.
In a preliminary study, that will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology, Greek researchers demonstrated that gradually exposing allergic children to heat-treated egg - such as those in baked goods - could help them overcome the allergy.
In the trial, 94 children were regularly given tiny amounts of cake containing egg. Over a period of several months, the quantity of cake was gradually increased and almost all children, 90 percent of them, were able to eat the maximum amount without symptoms.
After six months of daily doses of the processed egg, those children were challenged to eat egg that was not cooked to the same degree. Again, more than 95 percent had no allergic reaction to egg and were believed to have outgrown the allergy.
This study suggests that deliberate exposure to heat-treated egg may speed that tolerance and positive results give a hope to children affected by any
food allergy. According to the American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma and Immunology, one in 17 children under age 3 suffers from a food allergy.
Hen's egg is among the most common
allergens for children. And while many children with egg allergy outgrow the sensitivity by the time they enter school, until then eliminating all egg from the diet is the only effective management.
Source: the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology