Promising new study for children with egg allergies:

A new multi-centre study out this week shows some promising results for reducing allergy reactions.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study found that giving children with egg allergies a small amount of egg-white powder for 10 months reduced or eliminated their allergy after the study period.

Researchers enrolled 55 children and teens with egg allergies. Participants' families were then either given the equivalent of one-third of an egg in powder form, or a placebo, to mix into their children's food.

After 10 months, researchers gave the kids an "oral food challenge" in which they were given 5 grams of egg powder, the equivalent to one whole egg. They found that 55 percent of the children did not have an allergic reaction at that time. After 22 months, researchers gave the children two whole eggs and found that 75 percent of the children were no longer allergic.

More than one-quarter of the study group was able to work egg back into their regular diet regimen.

"The children were treated and then taken off treatment, the first large study to do so. Almost a third of those treated were able to come off treatment and now eat eggs in their diet," Dr. Wesley Burks, the lead author of the study and chairman of pediatrics at UNC said.

However, Burks warned parents should not to try this at home and that more trials are needed before the allergy intervention is used in widespread clinical practice.