If you spend any time reading about food allergies, chances are you’ve heard of Dr Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, the Department of Environmental Health Chair at Harvard School of Public Health and John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies.
Well-known for her research resulting in more than 400 published papers, she has made significant contributions to the clinical fields of immunology, infection, asthma, and allergy.
Aside from her unparalleled expertise in food allergy, she has the unique ability to explain very complex concepts in easy-to-understand terms.
Dr Nadeau was recently featured Dr Peter Attia’s “Drive” podcast, where she explained many essential topics related to food allergies, including:
- The basic functioning of the immune system;
- The differences between food allergies, food sensitivities and celiac disease;
- How food allergies develop;
- What happens during an allergic reaction;
- Why allergies sometimes get worse over time;
- How immunotherapy (OIT) works;
- The importance of early exposure to foods;
- Alpha-Gal syndrome.
Whether you suffer from food allergies or care for someone who does, we encourage you to set some time aside to watch this podcast, which runs about an hour and 45 minutes:
If you prefer to watch in segments, you can skip to a specific topic:
- 0:00:00 – Intro
- 0:00:42 – Dr Nadeau’s motivation to study food allergies
- 0:06:08 – Overview of the immune system and the family of immunoglobulins
- 0:10:37 – How our immune system fights viruses, bacteria, or fungi, and some exceptions to the rule
- 0:16:23 – Why our immune system is generally better at fighting viruses than bacterial infections
- 0:23:41 – Differentiating a food sensitivity from a food allergy, and a discussion about celiac disease
- 0:34:38 – How food allergies develop, why they can be lethal, and factors contributing to the uptrend in food allergies
- 0:50:11 – The role of environmental factors in the onset of food allergies and strategies for prevention
- 1:05:02 – How immunotherapy helps to overcome, and even cure, food allergies
- 1:26:21 – Can immunotherapy work for environmental allergens like pollen?
- 1:28:03 – Air pollution: impact on health and tips for reducing your risk
- 1:40:40 – Resources for those wanting to learn more or find clinical trials related to food allergies
Please watch and share with family, friends, and others who might benefit from understanding the basics of food allergy and treatment.