Research on Allergies

a) Keeping a dog in the house may protect children from developing
allergies.

Claudia Rock, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
studied nearly 300 children at risk for developing allergies because of
their family history. A year after birth, the study found that babies
were not more sensitive to allergens if they had a cat or other animal
living at home. However, there was a significant decrease in allergy
sensitivity if the pet was a dog.

Rock found that exposure to dogs increased levels of cytokines,
chemicals that dampen the body's reactions to allergens.

b) Some African-Americans may be predisposed to asthma because of a
gene. Shau-Ku Huang, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University, analyzed the
genes of 91 African-American families and pinpointed a region on
chromosome 11 which may be the site of a gene associated with asthma.
While the finding appears promising, Huang says further studies are
needed to clarify the link.

c) What you eat could affect how well you breathe, especially if
you gravitate toward fatty foods. Clare Murray, M.D., a researcher in
Manchester, England, studied the diets of children aged 3 to 5 and
determined that the more unsaturated fats the children ate, the greater
their likelihood of developing asthma.

d) About 100 people die each year from food allergies, often from
eating peanuts. An experimental drug called TNX-901 may one day change
that. In one test, patients who were in danger of suffering fatal
reactions to just a trace of the nut were able to eat an average of nine
peanuts-some ate up to 24 peanuts-after taking the drug.

Stats... Stats... Stats...

More than 70% of people with asthma also suffer from
allergies.

Some 3 million Americans, or about 1% of the population, are
allergic to nuts.

Rates of asthma increased 75% from 1980 to 1994.