How much food is too much? Threshold doses for allergenic foods

Abstract

This review summarizes recent findings and controversies in the area of threshold doses for allergenic foods. Over the years, there have been many clinical reports that ingestion of small amounts of food can elicit IgE-mediated allergic reactions. In exquisitely allergic individuals, the threshold dose for elicitation of such reactions is often considered to be zero. However, some food-allergic patients report that they can tolerate small quantities of allergenic food. Are very low quantities hazardous to food-allergic consumers? How much of the offending food is too much? Why is the concept of a threshold level important? There have been very few studies to date on threshold doses for allergenic foods, and more research is needed in this important area.