Exposure May Tame Peanut Allergy

Serve plain jelly sandwiches at lunch until youngsters turn 3, researchers suggest

(NEWSER) - Peanut allergies are showing up earlier in young children, researchers said today, cautioning parents to keep the legumes out of toddlers' diets. Older kids "can tell you right away if their mouths feel funny,” one doctor explained. The median age of a first reaction is now 14 months, down from 22 to 24 months less than a decade ago, Reuters reports. More»

Organic food lovers feel too good about themselves: study

(NEWSER) - Ever encountered a snotty attitude at an organic food stand? It makes sense psychologically, according to a new study that analyzed how people reacted after looking at different kinds of foods, MSNBC reports. "There's something about being exposed to organic food that made them feel better about themselves," says study author Kendall Eskine. "And that made them kind of jerks a little bit, I guess." More»

Studies suggest we don't seek solace in the familiar

(NEWSER) - Conventional wisdom has it that when we face big changes, we look to the familiar to get us through—whether it’s comfort food or music we’ve loved for years. But new studies suggest the opposite is true, that “change begets change,” in the words of one researcher. For example, subjects offered familiar or exotic food were more likely to try the latter if their lives were changing, reports Time. More»

Inaccurate testing results in huge number of misdiagnoses, experts say

(NEWSER) - Food allergies are on the rise, but faulty tests are behind much of that increase, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eating controlled amounts of a certain food under medical supervision is the only way of knowing whether you’re allergic to it, but primary-care doctors are more likely to employ less-accurate blood testing, resulting in a proliferation of misdiagnoses. More»

(NEWSER) - If Marie Antoinette really said "Let them eat cake," she probably knew the French wouldn't bite. Along with the British and other Europeans, the French have developed genetic variants that make them more sensitive to sweetness in food, a new study says. Africans, on the other hand, need more sugar to wake up their taste buds. As DNA researchers often say, the difference may come down to survival. More»