New toothpaste could help people with a common life-threatening food allergy, study suggests
- The toothpaste contains small amounts of peanuts to desensitize patients
- Six million Americans have a peanut allergy, which can be life-threatening
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A new toothpaste designed to desensitize people allergic to peanuts appears to be safe to use, giving hope to millions of people suffering from the life-threatening allergy.
California scientists tested the toothpaste, which contains small amounts of peanut proteins that are thought to cause an allergic reaction in people with nut allergies, on 32 adults with a known peanut allergy.
Participants brushed their teeth once a day for about 11 months, and researchers found that no one had a severe allergic reaction – indicating that the substance was safe to use in people with nut allergies.
The toothpaste is dispensed in measured doses and cleans the teeth just like a regular toothpaste.
A special toothpaste can reduce the risk of allergic reactions in adults with a peanut allergy, researchers discovered
Twenty-four people received the active substance and eight received a placebo. People who received the toothpaste did so in increasing doses, meaning the amount of peanut protein in the toothpaste increased with each dose.
By exposing participants to small amounts of peanuts, researchers hope they will gradually become more desensitized over time and have a lower risk of allergic reactions when exposed to peanuts.
This type of allergy treatment is called oral immunotherapy has been around for years. It involves desensitizing patients to the food they are allergic to by giving them small amounts of the food allergen to build up their body’s resistance.
The new toothpaste specifically uses oral mucosal immunotherapy, which acts on the mucous membrane of the mouth, where there are many immune response cells that desensitize patients.
Dr. William Berger, a pediatric allergist at Mission Hospital in California who is researching the new product, said American news: ‘Immunotherapy is conveniently administered by brushing your teeth once a day, so that you do not have to get an injection.
‘You don’t have to eat anything. You don’t have to prepare anything. You just get up in the morning as you normally would and brush your teeth.”
During the 48 weeks of the phase one study, 24 of the participants used the toothpaste increasingly, while the remaining eight used a placebo.
Everyone given the toothpaste tolerated the highest dose of peanut protein, the researchers said. No moderate or severe allergic reactions have been recorded.
About six million Americans have a peanut allergy, which can be life-threatening, and there is currently no cure for the allergy
Those with a peanut allergy are advised to avoid peanuts and told to carry EpiPens, a device that delivers the drug epinephrine, or other life-saving auto-injectors in case they experience a reaction.
While 54 percent of people taking the drug experienced mild itching in the mouth and around the lips, none dropped out of the study due to side effects.
The findings were presented at a meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in California.
About 1 in 50 children and about 4.6 million adults in the US have a peanut allergy.
Peanuts are one of the food allergens most often linked to anaphylaxis, a severe allergic overreaction of the immune system in which a rash appears on the skin and the throat begins to close, making it difficult to breathe, which can lead to death lead if not treated. immediately.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction can vary but may include a rash, itching, or vomiting.
There is no treatment for a peanut allergy and patients are advised to avoid the food and carry EpiPens, a device that delivers the drug epinephrine, or other life-saving auto-injectors in case they experience a reaction.