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.