As a family coping with food allergies, we wonder — as do you — what the cause of this food allergy epidemic might be. After all, food allergies were rare if not unheard of a generation ago.
While the issue presents a complex puzzle that has yet to be solved, we had occasion to hear Dr Martin Blaser discuss his take at a recent Food Allergy Fund presentation sponsored by Ilana Golant. Dr Blaser is a professor and director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University and a foremost authority on the gut microbiome.
We encourage you to invest a few minutes to read his recent article entitled “Why Human Health Is in the Hands of Bacteria” appearing in Time. In it, Dr Blaser makes the case that years of consuming preservatives and antibiotics have taken their toll on our microbiota and have opened the door to obesity, diabetes, asthma, inflammatory conditions of the intestine and of the brain, and yes… food allergies.
This 5-minute read may give you a new perspective on food allergy and why it is critical that we better understand the link with the microbiome.