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The immunology that underlies picky eating

Humans can be picky eaters. One such behaviour is an aversion to food associated with food allergy. The immunological basis for this response has been uncovered in mice, revealing the role of neuroimmune connections.
  1. Marc E. Rothenberg

    1. Marc E. Rothenberg is in the Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA.

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Allergic diseases are on the rise, affecting 30–40% of the global population1. Research often focuses on the illness and death associated with these and other immune-mediated diseases, but emerging evidence suggests that allergies also provide some protection and benefit. Food aversion, for instance, can limit exposure to harmful stimuli, acting as a defence strategy to prevent further damage. Yet how allergy and food aversion are connected mechanistically has been unclear. Writing in Nature, Plum et al.2 and Florsheim et al.3 report evidence in mice that the arm of the immune system involved in allergic responses communicates with the brain, and thereby leads to food avoidance.

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Nature 620, 497-499 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02179-3

References

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Competing Interests

M.E.R. is a consultant for Pulm One, Spoon Guru, ClostraBio, Serpin Pharm, Allakos, Celldex, Nextstone One, Santa Ana Bio, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, GlaxoSmith Kline, Regeneron/Sanofi, Revolo Biotherapeutics and Guidepoint, and has an equity interest in the first eight listed, and royalties from reslizumab (Teva Pharmaceuticals), PEESSv2 (Mapi Research Trust) and UpToDate. M.E.R. is an inventor of patents owned by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

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