Insights into Dietary Therapies for Food Allergies

Dear Colleagues,

Food allergy is a growing public health issue in industrialized countries, significantly impairing patients' quality of life. It is defined as an aberrant immune response to food proteins, leading to reproducible symptoms involving dermatologic, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, or neurologic systems.

IgE-mediated reactions manifest rapidly (within 1–2 hours post-ingestion), whereas non-IgE-mediated forms present with delayed onset (from >2 hours to several days). Clinical severity ranges from mild cutaneous symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergy is based on clinical history, detection of food-specific IgE (via skin prick testing and/or serum assays), and confirmation through double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). Non-IgE-mediated allergies primarily affect the gastrointestinal tract and are organ-specific. Eosinophilic esophagitis requires endoscopic biopsy for diagnosis; food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is typically confirmed via supervised oral food challenge.

Management consists of strict allergen avoidance. However, accidental exposures remain a persistent risk. In selected cases, oral immunotherapy has emerged as a therapeutic option with growing evidence of efficacy and safety.

This Special Issue focuses on dietary and nutritional strategies for the prevention and management of food allergies, including dietary interventions, feeding patterns, allergen-free food formulation, and nutritional impacts of elimination diets.

Dr. Elisa Gómez-Torrijos
Guest Editor

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