Food Allergy Research and the Future of Innovative Solutions

A session presented in partnership with the Food Allergy Research & Education non-profit, addressed why food allergies ares so much more common now. Dr. Jonathan Spergel, chief of the Allergy Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said that experts speculate the reasons may include too much cleanliness (“the hygiene hypothesis”), changes in cooking and food processing, and the possibility of over-diagnosis and over-testing. He was joined by Dr. Amal H. Assa’ad, director of clinical services for allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Both doctors are very hopeful about advancements they expect in the next ten years, including doing a far better job to recognize and treat food allergies among Asian, Black, and Hispanic Americans.