‘Miracle’ breakthrough in allergy as study shows giving children small doses of trigger foods like peanuts and milk can build their immunity

By Liam On May 7, 2024

Children with severe allergies have seen ‘life-changing’ results from early studies using foods to build their immunity.

Five NHS hospitals have so far taken part in a £2.5m clinical trial testing whether everyday food items – such as peanuts and milk – can be used as a treatment.

Experts said that while it is not a cure for extreme allergies, early results have shown that immunotherapy has the potential to stop deaths and reduce hospitalizations from accidental exposure.

Sibel Sonmez-Ajtai, pediatric allergy consultant and principal investigator at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘This study allows us to do something we would never have dreamed of before: give patients the foods we know they are allergic to.

The research was funded by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, established in memory of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who died in 2016 (photo). She suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame baked in a Pret baguette she bought at Heathrow airport

‘This treatment does not cure a food allergy, but its results are life-changing.

‘It is nothing short of a miracle that a patient who has had anaphylaxis on 4 ml of milk can tolerate 90 ml within six to eight months.’

The research was funded by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, established in memory of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who passed away in 2016.

The 15-year-old, from Fulham, west London, suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame baked in a Pret baguette she bought at Heathrow airport.

There was no allergen advice on the packaging of the sandwich, as this was not legally required at the time, as it was made on site.

Researchers say initial results show immunotherapy has the potential to stop deaths and reduce hospitalizations from accidental exposure

Her parents, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, campaigned for a change in food laws and set up the foundation in the hope of curing allergies through research.

The oral immunotherapy (OIT) clinical trial uses everyday foods to build an allergy patient’s tolerance over time.

It is run at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

WHAT IS ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK?

Anaphylaxis, also called anaphylactic shock, can be fatal within minutes.

It is a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy.

The reaction can often be triggered by certain foods, including peanuts and shellfish.

However, some medications, bee stings, and even latex used in condoms can also cause the life-threatening reaction.

According to the NHS, it occurs when the immune system overreacts to a trigger.

Symptoms include: feeling light-headed or fainting; breathing difficulties – such as rapid, shallow breathing; wheezing; a fast heartbeat; clammy skin; confusion and anxiety and collapse or loss of consciousness.

It is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.

Insect stings are not dangerous to most victims, but a person does not necessarily have to suffer from a pre-existing condition to be at risk.

An increasing build-up of stings can cause a person to develop an allergy, with a subsequent sting causing the anaphylactic reaction.

It will launch soon in Scotland, with plans to join Bristol and Leeds too.

If successful, the three-year trial could provide further evidence of the availability of everyday food treatments by the NHS.

Thomas Farmer, 11, who was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy when he was one, can now eat six peanuts a day after taking part in the trial in Southampton.

His mother Lauren said: ‘Having food allergies can be very difficult and isolating… (but) our journey through the Natasha study has been amazing so far.

‘At first it was very scary for both Thomas and us when he did the food challenge because we weren’t sure what to expect.

‘Knowing that Thomas can now tolerate six peanuts a day has taken away so much of the fear around food.

‘It will also hopefully mean he will be able to eat a wider variety of foods as we will be less concerned about accidental exposure.

‘It’s amazing that Thomas can achieve all this without medication, just with ready-made food.’

Since taking part in the Newcastle trial, five-year-old Grace Fisher, who has a milk allergy, now drinks 120ml of milk a day. Soon she will be able to eat pizza with her friends.

Her mother Emma said: “Grace is over six months into this journey and it’s going great.

‘She currently uses 4 ounces of milk and loves her daily hot chocolate.’

So far, 139 people aged 2 to 23 with an allergy to peanuts or cow’s milk have started treatment. Full results are expected in 2027.

In 2021, ‘Natasha’s Law’ was introduced, making allergy information a requirement for food prepared on site.

Ms Ednan-Laperouse said: ‘We are so pleased that some children with peanut and milk allergies are already seeing the benefits of using everyday foods under medical supervision to treat their allergic disease.

‘If Natasha were alive today, this is exactly the kind of research she would have liked to participate in.

“This is an important first step in our mission to make food allergies history. We look forward to the final results.’