For people with food allergies, even a simple dinner out can become stressful. Figuring out whether every ingredient is listed on the menu and asking the server a dozen questions are necessary steps just to avoid dishes that might seem harmless to most, but can be dangerous — even fatal — to someone with allergies.
A bite of something containing peanuts, shellfish, soy, or wheat can lead to anything from mild itching to vomiting or even difficulty breathing. At the moment, managing food allergies mostly comes down to strict avoidance and carrying emergency medication like epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens) or antihistamines.
While treatments like oral immunotherapy are gaining traction, there’s still no cure. But that may be starting to change. A new study published in Nature highlights a type of immune cell that appears to ease food allergy symptoms — raising hopes among researchers at NYU Langone Health for a new way to treat not only allergies, but potentially other autoimmune conditions, too.
