Study Identifies Enzyme Critical To Peanut Allergy

U.S. researchers have identified an enzyme, Cyp11a1, that is essential to the allergic reaction to peanuts. The study in mice found that blocking the enzyme in mice sensitized to peanuts prevented diarrhea and inflammation while reducing levels of several proteins associated with allergies. The researchers believe that identifying the critical enzyme will make it easier to develop a preventative therapy for the increasingly common and potentially deadly peanut allergy, and perhaps for other food allergies. Food allergies have become more common in recent decades, affecting about eight percent of the U.S. population.