Say Goodbye to Peanut Allergies!
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Peanuts! Who knew they could be such a hassle? As the world’s leading cause of food allergies, the tiny members of the legume family sure are a nuisance for the intolerant, resulting in reactions that range from minor skin rashes to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Even worse, according to experts at FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), the incidences of peanut allergies have actually tripled in the last fifteen years!
Though this is a little disconcerting, all hope is not lost. A team of scientists led by Wade Yang from University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Services, recently revealed that they may have found a way to modify peanuts such that the nutritious "nuts" can be enjoyed by almost anyone that wishes to consume them.
But before we delve into the solution, let’s look at what happens when someone has an adverse response to the legume. Like all food allergies, those triggered by peanuts are a result of the body overreacting to something that is not dangerous and treating it as if it were harmful. In order to protect the body, the immune system's antibodies that are known as immunoglobulin E (IgE), tag the foreign food particles as "enemy invaders" that need to be destroyed.
The body responds by releasing its ammunition or what we commonly call histamines. The histamines try to get rid of the "harmful" food, by triggering commonly known allergy symptoms like sneezing, itchy hives, swelling, and vomiting. In some cases, the histamine may even induce anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction whereby a person goes into shock after his or her tongue swells, breathing tubes constrict, and blood pressure falls.
Over the years, scientists have made numerous attempts at finding a way to prevent the false triggers. These have ranged from building up a peanut tolerance to tricking the immune system to ignore certain peanut proteins. Unfortunately, none have been very effective. More recent research has revolved around gut bacteria to see if the allergies are caused by lack of certain species of the tiny microbes.
However, it is not until Wade Yang started focusing on the cause of the allergies, i.e. the peanut, that a possible solution has emerged. The assistant researcher's method involves pelting whole peanuts with quick bursts of xenon-light. The ultra-violet radiation generated by the xenon helps inactivate the major peanut proteins Ara h1-h3, so that human antibodies don't recognize them as allergens.
While Yang, who revealed his findings in the September edition of Food and Bioprocess Technology, has so far only been able to inactivate 80% of the allergens, he believes he can get the number up to 99.9%. The researcher says he could possibly get to even 100% , but thinks that it would destroy the taste, texture, flavor, and nutrition of peanuts. However, even with 99.9% inactivation, Yang claims that the allergenic protein per peanut product can be reduced from 150 mg to 1.5 mg, making peanuts safe for 95% of the people that are currently allergic.
Given that Yang's trials are still in the early stages, it will take a few years before the modified peanuts come to market. However, the initial results are extremely encouraging. If successful, the technique could be used to inactivate allergens in tree nuts, like almonds and cashews as well as other common allergy-inducing foods like eggs, shrimp and soybeans.
Resources: Gizmag.com, medicalnewstoday.com
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612 Comments
- lolover 9 yearslol
- starlight11over 9 yearsno wonder, this is cool
nikukyualmost 10 yearsI like crunchy peanut butter more than the smooth kind. What do you guys think?
crystalmorialmost 10 yearsCrunchy. Actually, I had a crunchy peanut butter sandwich for lunch today. XD Interesting coincidence
- Ghfhhdhalmost 10 yearsCool thing
bigmeloalmost 10 yearsI'm not allergic to anything! (Except my brother, maybe :D) Are you? If so, let me know! I'm making a list of allergies I can find at least a temporary cure for. :)
mooshroomzalmost 5 yearsAll peanuts,free nuts,cats,dogs,dust and grass
emilysmileover 9 yearsHot and Spicy things! ussaly throw up after i eat them!- nikukyualmost 10 yearsCATS CATS CATS CATS and oh, did I mention cats?
- crystalmorialmost 10 yearsI have no allergies, but I know people who are allergic to chocolate, peanuts, gluten, and various other things.
- nikukyualmost 10 yearsI love chocolate...I feel so sorry for all those people in the world, not able to taste yummy things!!!
kiayaralmost 10 yearsweird but great
jetmanalmost 10 yearscool and great :)- sen senalmost 10 yearscool
animaljamzalmost 10 yearsthats a lot of info
imthebestalmost 10 yearsFun Facts Peanut Fun Facts By the Numbers It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches. Find out how peanuts grow. Delta Airlines purchased 69.6 million packs of peanuts for its passengers in 2013 By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts. The world’s largest peanut butter factory churns out 250,000 jars of the tasty treat every day. Four of the top 10 candy bars manufactured in the USA contain peanuts or peanut butter. Peanuts account for two-thirds of all snack nuts consumed in the USA. Peanuts contribute more than $4 billion to the USA economy each year. Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter. The average peanut farm is 100 acres. Peanut butter/peanut paste is the leading use of peanuts produced in the U.S. (1/2); followed by snack nuts and in-shells (1/4); and, candy and confections (1/4). Peanuts are the #1 snack nut consumed in the U.S., accounting for two-thirds of the snack nut market. Consumption Facts The Huffington Post (Sept. 2014) asked, “What makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich? “Good question,” we say! Results show, 36 % say strawberry jam is favorite (grape is 31%); favorite bread is white bread (54%); favorite type of peanut butter is smooth (56%) and a whopping 80 % like their PB & J with the crust left on the sandwich. The average American consumes more than six pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products each year. The average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he/she graduates high school. Click here for kid’s recipes. Americans consume on average over 1.5 billion pounds of peanut butter and peanut products each year. Peanut butter is consumed in 94 percent of USA households. Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The amount of peanut butter eaten in a year could wrap the earth in a ribbon of 18-ounce peanut butter jars one and one-third times. Peanuts Made Famous Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter. Astronaut Alan Shepard brought a peanut with him to the moon. Read about peanuts bringing good luck to NASA. Peanut butter was the secret behind “Mr. Ed,” TV’s talking horse. Spreading peanut butter inside the horse’s mouth created a natural talking movement every time the animal moved his sticky jaws. Baseball Hall of Fame’s, Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Gaylord Perry are peanut farmers from North Carolina (Hunter from Hertford and Perry from Williamston). Former President Bill Clinton confessed that one of his favorite sandwiches is peanut butter and banana; also reported to have been the favorite of Elvis “the King” Presley. In Barbara Mandrell’s hit song “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” she sings about putting peanuts in her bottle of Coke. (This method of enjoying peanuts was developed by southern farm workers as a practical snack solution in the interest of time and cleanliness, plus it’s flavorful.) There are six cities in the U.S. named Peanut: Peanut, California; Lower Peanut, Pennsylvania; Upper Peanut, Pennsylvania; Peanut, Pennsylvania, Peanut, Tennessee; and Peanut West Virginia. PB Facts from Girl Scouts of America According to Little Brownie Bakers, cookie bakers use about 230,000 pounds of peanut butter per week to bake Do-si-dos and Tagalongs. Click here for a peanut butter cookie recipe. Peanut butter cream is deposited onto Do-si-dos at the rate of 2,800 cookies per minute. Click here for more Girl Scout cookie fun facts. World Records Grand Saline, TX holds the title for the world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich weighing in at 1,342 pounds. Grand Saline outweighed Oklahoma City’s 900 pounds peanut butter and jelly sandwich in November 2010. Oklahoma City, OK had been the reigning champ since September 7, 2002. Adrian Finch of Australia holds the Guinness World Record for peanut throwing, launching the lovable legume 111 feet and 10 inches in 1999 to claim the record. In August 1976, Tom Miller, a University of Colorado student, pushed a peanut to the top of Pike’s Peak with his nose(14,100 feet!). It took him 4 days, 23 hours,47 minutes and 3 seconds. The Guiness Book of World Records reports that on April 3, 1973, Chris Ambrose, Clerkenwell, London, ate 100 peanuts singly in 59.2 seconds! According to the Guiness Book of World Records, Earl Adkins, Enfield, North Carolina holds the record for growing the largest peanut – 4 inches long! (The average length of a peanut is about one inch.) Find out how peanuts grow. How do you like your peanuts? Women and children prefer creamy, while most men opt for chunky. Click here for a creamy peanut butter smoothie recipe. People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style. Sixty percent of consumers prefer creamy peanut butter over crunchy. Peanut butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA. “Boiled peanuts” are considered a delicacy in the peanut growing areas of the South. Freshly harvested peanuts are boiled in supersaturated salt water until they are of a soft bean like texture. They are most frequently enjoyed at the end of the day with a favorite beverage. Nutrition Facts Peanuts have more protein, niacin, folate and phytosterols than any nut. Peanuts and peanut butter contain over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients. Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free. Rumor says that there’s enough mental stimulation in one peanut to produce 30 minutes of serious thinking. That may or may not be true, but peanuts are a good source of protein and the B vitamins, nutrients that help prevent “brain fatigue” Peanut oil is valued as premium cooking oil by cooks and chefs worldwide. Tasteless and odorless, peanut oil doesn’t transfer food flavors, has a very high smoke point (440 to 470† F.) and is high in the desirable mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Specially processed defatted peanuts may be ground into a flour for use in making high protein foods and beverages-, may be granulated and added to breakfast or diet bars to raise the protein levels; or may be flavored to taste like other foods. One of the many great advantages of peanuts and peanut butter is long shelf life. If held at average ambient temperature without great change in heat or humidity, peanuts and peanut butter can be safely stored for several months. Peanuts contain no cholesterol. Recent studies show that the combination of monounsaturates and polyunsaturates such as are found in peanuts may be helpful in reducing cholesterol levels in the body. Peanut Holidays January 24 – National Peanut Butter Day March – National Peanut Month March 1 – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day March 8 – National Peanut Cluster Day April 2 – National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day May 18 – I love Reese’s Day June 12 – National Peanut Butter Cookie Day September 13 – National Peanut Day November – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month November 20 – National Peanut Butter Fudge Day Holiday Source: Chase’s Calendar of Events published by McGraw-Hill. In our Language Goober—a nickname for peanuts—comes from “nguba”, the Congo language name for peanut. There are over 700 known phobias. Archibutyrophobia (pronounced A’-ra-kid-bu-ti-ro-pho-bi-a) is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. “Peanut Gallery” became popular in the late 19th century and referred to the rear or uppermost seats in a theater, which were also the cheapest seats. People seated in such a gallery were able to throw peanuts, a common food at theaters, at those seated below them. It also applied to the first row of seats in a movie theater, for the occupants of those seats could throw peanuts at the stage, stating their displeasure with the performance. Peanuts are sometimes called “ground nuts” or “ground peas” because peanuts are actually formed under the ground. Everybody loves peanuts; so much so, that there’s a saying: “Will power is the ability to eat one peanut!” Published: September 26, 2014
bibliophilealmost 10 yearsWoah... thanks for the info though!!!!- bigmeloalmost 10 yearsIt may have been long, but I read it all. There's actually some pretty good content in there, if you're one of those 'comment skimmers'. :D
- nikukyualmost 10 yearsOh my gosh....I here by award you the "most longet comment written in DOGOnews" award!!!🏆
- kiayaralmost 10 yearsThat was long
tree300almost 10 yearspeanut butter is GOOD for you.