Food Allergy Living Blog Tagged Results

In food allergy circles, we usually think of symptoms and side effects as results of food allergies, not the other way around. In most cases that’s true. Science has shown a strong link between food allergy and atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema. Last month Dr. Jon Hanifin, a respected dermatologist, gave a talk to colleagues discussing the link between atopic dermatitis and food allergies. The research he presented suggests that for some patients it may actually be atopic dermatitis that comes first and acts as a precursor to food allergies.

Atopic dermatitis is often one of the first signs that a parent or caregiver notices in their child which helps lead to the diagnosis of food allergy. As Dr. Hanifin explained, about 6-10% of children are diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, and of those about a third will be diagnosed with a food allergy. Which begs the question: If parents notice signs of atopic dermatitis first, and an allergy diagnosis comes later, couldn’t atopic dermatitis be causing some instances of food allergy?

What We Know:

-In cases of food allergy, offending foods cause reactions in the body which involve the immune system

-Immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE) are immune substances which are normally in our bodies at low levels, but are higher with food allergy

-Allergy symptoms often involve the skin (including our digestive tract, which is like an inside skin), an important barrier that keeps most outside “things” from getting inside

-One factor of atopic dermatitis is “holes” in the barrier our skin provides

What Dr. Hanifin Proposed:

In the past it was assumed that food allergies came first, causing both high IgE levels and atopic dermatitis. Dr. Hanifin suggested that in some patients atopic dermatitis is caused by “gaps” in the skin (likely due to genetics), which means that foreign substances can enter the skin and cause adverse reactions. He thinks it may be proteins that get through these gaps which allows the body to become sensitive to certain foods, leading to a food allergy.

What does all of this mean? The biggest message here is that patients with atopic dermatitis, especially those under five years, should be tested for food allergies. While avoiding food allergens may not help improve atopic dermatitis, it could certainly prevent or improve other serious side effects of allergies. The second message is that more research needs to be done into the causes of atopic dermatitis and its relationship to food allergies. Any research that leads to better health, through reducing instances of atopic dermatitis and/or food allergies, is good research! Tell us about your experience: Was atopic dermatitis the first sign that you saw of your child’s food allergy?

- Rob

We’re always keeping our eyes peeled and our ears tuned for new news on eosinophilic esophagitis (also EoE or EE). This matters to us because many children with EoE  use Neocate products, as part of their special, healthy diet.


The Study

Dr. Charles DeBrosse and Dr. James Franciosi at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where there is a Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, recently published a new research study about the long-term effects of EoE.  If you’re interested in reading the study here are links to the study abstract as well as a great summary.


The Results

The research team looked at over 100 patients with esophagitis; some had EoE, while others had chronic esophagitis, and compared them to patients who had no esophagitis. On average, this was about 15 years after the patients developed esophagitis. EoE research was in its early stages back then, and many patients went undiagnosed or were misdiagnosed. The participants answered questions about their symptoms and quality of life. The researchers then compared the results of each of the groups to see what differences really stood out.

Patients with EoE reported a lower quality of life and experienced more trouble swallowing and had food become stuck in their esophagus more often. Those patients with higher eosinophil counts in childhood had more trouble swallowing as adults. Also, patients with a diagnosed food allergy were more likely to have trouble swallowing and to have food become stuck in their esophagus.


The Bottom Line

As the researchers concluded, EoE “is associated with reduced quality of life and persistent symptoms 15 years after presentation.” They also noted that both increased eosinophil counts and the presence of food allergy in childhood increase the rate of trouble swallowing in young adulthood. It doesn’t sound very positive, but it’s what many of us expected: there is a strong link between food allergies and symptoms among patients with EoE, and high eosinophil levels can have a lasting impact.


What Can We Take Away from This?

Sure, the results and conclusion don’t sound great at first, but there are a few things to keep in mind. For one, a HUGE amount of research has been conducted on EoE in the last 15 years, and we’ve learned a lot! Patients who had EoE 15 years ago had a much different experience than patients with EoE today have. For instance, the way that EoE is diagnosed and treated has improved in that time. Also, many more of today’s health care teams can recognize, diagnose, and treat EoE, which is more widely known. And many teams also include allergy testing as part of the care process for EoE.

There are also options for managing EoE that are now in wide use. For instance, elimination diets and elemental diets (which we’ll blog about in a few weeks – stay tuned) have come a long way. Elemental diets (or amino acid-based formulas) can be especially helpful in getting EoE under control and are useful in diagnostic phases. These formulas can help improve trouble swallowing when EoE isn’t under control, which can mean better outcomes. They can also provide key nutrients when added to a very limited diet.

Children on elemental diets have lots of options these days in the Neocate family of products. We have Neocate Junior, which is available in several flavors. We also have E028 Splash, which not only comes in multiple flavors, but is also in drink box form, so it’s just as ready-to-go as your child! And for children who miss solid textures on an elemental diet, Neocate Nutra can provide a change of scenery, especially prepared in one of our recipes.


What did you learn from the new research that was published in June?

- Rob 


[Photo: Microsoft Images]

About a year ago, I started working at Nutricia in my role as a Nutrition Specialist. I knew from the beginning that I’d found a great place to work, and it is hard to believe how fast that first year has gone by. What is it they say about time flying?

Well, we hear from so many parents how helpful our products are, especially Neocate, and I thought it would be a nice twist to share a bit about what makes our company so great, since we’re more than just our products.


Dannon & Danone

Nutricia is a sister to a much larger company that you’ve probably heard of – Dannon! We also have sister companies in Evian and Stonyfield. These companies are the North American branches of our parent company, Group Danone. Danone is based in Paris, and this family of companies presents a great partnership for sharing medical research and working together to provide some of the best products available. This also means we and our customers benefit from the great initiatives that come out of Danone.


International

Did you know that Nutricia is worldwide? We actually have Nutricia branches located around the world, not just in the United States. Each international branch of Nutricia offers a slightly different mix of products from our global portfolio. Neocate, however, is offered by almost all branches, since it has been so helpful to so many families worldwide.


Research

One of the greatest things about Nutricia is our long and continued commitment to research. Since the 1960s, we’ve supported hundreds of publications on research into our products and many medical conditions. This means that we get to work with lots of researchers, many of whom are leaders in their field. This research has contributed to improving the way medicine is practiced, including the diagnosis and treatment of multiple conditions. We’re pretty proud of that!

Taking this one step further, we offer many opportunities for health care professionals to learn about cutting edge science from top researchers. We do this by offering free webinars, presentations, and by supporting medical conferences, making it easier for the folks who treat patients to stay up-to-date on current medical knowledge. 

On top of this, we now have a team of researchers based here in the United States. They are working on current studies for our products. This team, along with our international research teams, demonstrates our dedication to furthering medical research.


Specialized

One of the best things about Nutricia shows up as part of our mission: “Improving lives through specialized nutrition solutions.”  We are certainly not a one-size-fits-all kind of company. In fact, most people will probably never hear about Nutricia. Our products are specialized, meaning they are designed for specific conditions and disorders, most of them rare. This means we can focus our efforts and resources on providing the best products possible for those conditions, and for our customers! We also provide specialized customer service, which includes having dedicated Nutrition Specialists to answer customer questions.


Employee Support

Finally, it wouldn’t be fair to tell you how great our company is without letting you know how much support they provide to us, the employees. By being a part of Danone, we get to take part in training that makes us better able to support our customers, as well as to work better with each other. Nutricia also supports our education, such as going to conferences to stay on top of current research, as well as taking classes to improve our skills and knowledge.


Do you have a question about Nutricia, and what makes us so special?

- Rob

[Images: Microsoft Images, Dannon Website]