U of M researchers working on potential solution to food allergies

More than 33 million Americans Suffer from food allergies. Common culprits include concerns about nuts, dairy and eggs.

Allergies can be uncomfortable and interfere with your lifestyle. But severe allergies can be life-threatening.

Researchers at the University of Michigan are testing a new potential solution to food allergies. I spoke to one of the researchers about hope for the future, a young mother about her baby’s allergies, and a manager at an allergy-friendly cafe about what it takes to keep customers safe.

It’s hopping At Soul Cafe in West Bloomfield, a Kosher cafe with an allergy-friendly approach. Front-end manager Fallon Dudek took us on a tour of the kitchen.

"Have you noticed an increase in allergies, either allergies or allergy awareness?" I asked Dudek.

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"Absolutely, absolutely," Dudek replied. "People are more allergic now and more aware of their allergies now."

In fact according to FoodAllergyAwareness.org, The number of people with food allergies in America has doubled each of the last decades.

Lead researcher Dr. James Moon is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Michigan. His team has been working on a new approach to treating allergies - using a plant-derived dietary fiber called Inulin. to interact with bacteria in our GI tract.

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"(It can be used) to better modulate immune responses," Moon said. "And in our food allergy models, our, you know, lean gel has shown great efficacy."

Inulin is a dietary fiber supplement found in chicory root and the Jerusalem artichoke. Studies in mice show lower allergic reactions to peanut, milk, and egg white proteins. Inulin is also already known to the FDA as safe for human consumption because it is derived from plants.

"It's rather economical to produce them in mass scale," Moon said.

Inulin works by increasing good bacteria in the gut and lowering detrimental microbes found in food allergy patients. Inulin gel therapy wouldn't replace Epi-Pens for acute allergic reactions. However, in studies, animal subjects taking Inulin together with the allergen in a special formulation build a tolerance to the allergy triggers and eliminate allergic reactions on future exposure.

"In the future, when we show this in human clinical trials, this may be widely applicable to those who already have food allergies," Moon said.

Which could make a world of difference for those with food sensitivities.

It’s welcome news to Sheena, whose 10-month-old daughter, Cameron, suffered from a dairy allergy.

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"She was getting rashes all over her face, all over her back in her neck," Sheena said. "They say that. Kids grow out of it. So I'm not sure I'm scared. I'm scared to introduce it and find out. They say usually by two, but sometimes it can be a lifetime."

And it’s not just food allergies. Dr. Moon says in animal studies– when combined with cancer immunotherapies inulin increases their effectiveness and reduces safety issues.

A human cancer patient trial is planned for the fall to see if the promise observed in mice translates to success in humans