The End of Food Allergy Book Summary - The End of Food Allergy Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

The End of Food Allergy summary

Kari Nadeau and Sloan Barnett

The First Program to Prevent and Reverse a 21st Century Epidemic

4.1 (61 ratings)
30 mins

Brief summary

The End of Food Allergy by Kari Nadeau and Sloan Barnett is a groundbreaking book that provides cutting-edge research and practical advice for parents and caregivers on how to prevent or minimize food allergies in children.

Table of Contents

    The End of Food Allergy
    Summary of 10 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 10

    Allergist Gideon Lack developed a revolutionary hypothesis about food allergies.

    Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a British researcher named Gideon Lack was feeling a mixture of puzzlement and alarm.

    As a pediatric allergist at King’s College London, he’d seen the rate of peanut allergies in the UK double in just 10 years. Meanwhile, more British parents than ever were following the standard medical advice of the time. It boiled down to a simple message: don’t feed your baby peanuts. That way, you’ll avoid the risk of them developing a peanut allergy.

    Sounds logical – but apparently it wasn’t working, and no one knew why.

    Then something happened. During a trip to Tel Aviv, Lack stumbled upon a pair of facts that led him to a eureka moment. The result would be a hypothesis that turned the conventional wisdom on food allergies on its head.

    The key message here is: Allergist Gideon Lack developed a revolutionary hypothesis about food allergies. 

    Lack had come to Tel Aviv to give a talk about peanut allergies to a group of Israeli clinicians. At one point during the talk, he asked his audience members for a show of hands: who here has treated at least one case of peanut allergy in the past year?

    Whenever he asked this question in the UK, nearly all the hands would go up. But there, in Tel Aviv, only a couple did. Apparently, British children were suffering from peanut allergies at a much higher rate than Israeli children – ten times higher (1.85 versus only 0.17 percent), he later found out.

    That was the first fact he stumbled upon. What explained it? Well, that brings us to the second fact.

    One day, shortly after his talk, Lack was having lunch with some Israeli friends. One of them was a mother, who was feeding her baby some food. It was a very common baby snack in Israel, his friends informed him. Just out of curiosity, he asked if he could try it for himself.

    The snack tasted like peanut butter.

    It turned out that Israeli babies were eating food containing peanuts at a much higher rate than British babies – seven times higher (69 versus 10 percent) by the age of nine months old, he later determined.

    Could the two facts be connected? Could early exposure to peanuts actually help children to be less likely to develop peanut allergies, rather than the other way around? So, was avoidance a misguided idea? And could the same thing be true of other food allergies as well?

    Lack suspected the answer to all of these questions was yes. But it’s one thing to come up with a hypothesis. It’s another to test it, let alone confirm it.

    Further research was necessary.

    Want to see all full key ideas from The End of Food Allergy?

    Key ideas in The End of Food Allergy

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is The End of Food Allergy about?

    The End of Food Allergy (2020) shows how recent developments in science and medicine are beginning to solve a problem that has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Combining data-driven research with inspirational storytelling, it provides a window into one of the biggest scientific and medical revolutions of our time.

    The End of Food Allergy Review

    The End of Food Allergy (2019) is a thought-provoking book that explores the current state of food allergies and offers insights into potential solutions. Here's why it's worth a read:

    • The book presents cutting-edge research and breakthrough treatments that could revolutionize the way we approach food allergies.
    • With its practical strategies for prevention and management, it empowers readers with the knowledge and tools to navigate the complex world of food allergies.
    • Through compelling stories and personal experiences, the book sheds light on the impact of food allergies on individuals and their families, making it a compelling and relatable read.

    Who should read The End of Food Allergy?

    • Food allergy sufferers
    • Parents, teachers, and doctors of children with food allergies
    • Anyone interested in food research and scientific stories

    About the Author

    Dr. Kari Nadeau is the director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University, where she’s the Naddisy Foundation professor of Pediatric Food Allergy, Immunology and Asthma. She’s also a member of Stanford’s Maternal and Child Health Research Institute and the Stanford Institute of Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection. She holds both an MD and a PhD from Harvard Medical School.

    Sloan Barnett is a lawyer and journalist who is the author of the New York Times best seller Green Goes with Everything. She’s the mother of three children whose allergies were reversed by Dr. Kari Nadeu’s immunotherapy program.

    Categories with The End of Food Allergy

    Book summaries like The End of Food Allergy

    People ❤️ Blinkist 
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked these summaries

    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    30 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    10+ years
    Experience igniting personal growth
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial

    The End of Food Allergy FAQs 

    What is the main message of The End of Food Allergy?

    The main message of The End of Food Allergy is that food allergies can be prevented and treated using innovative approaches.

    How long does it take to read The End of Food Allergy?

    The reading time for The End of Food Allergy varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

    Is The End of Food Allergy a good book? Is it worth reading?

    The End of Food Allergy is a valuable read for anyone affected by food allergies. It offers groundbreaking research and practical solutions to improve health and quality of life.

    Who is the author of The End of Food Allergy?

    The authors of The End of Food Allergy are Kari Nadeau and Sloan Barnett.

    What to read after The End of Food Allergy?

    If you're wondering what to read next after The End of Food Allergy, here are some recommendations we suggest:
    • Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel
    • What Doesn't Kill Us by Scott Carney
    • Zero Sugar / One Month by Becky Gillaspy
    • Dopamine Detox by Thibaut Meurisse
    • Food Fix by Mark Hyman
    • The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
    • 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
    • How to Make a Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs
    • How to Eat to Change How You Drink by Brooke Scheller
    • Urban Tantra by Barbara Carrellas