With more than 32 million Americans affected by food allergies, advocates and officials are probing root causes—including the microbiome.
On Monday, the Food Allergy Fund (FAF) hosted a forum in Washington, D.C., with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, FDA Chief Martin Makary, and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.
Makary discussed how the understanding of the microbiome’s role has evolved. According to Makary, the intestine hosts over a billion different types of bacteria, which generally live in a state of balance. The doctor added, “but when it’s altered by the modern-day diet and by antibiotics and other exposures … that disequilibrium can cause inflammation, it can cause health problems, and it may be implicated in food allergies.”
“Gut health is central to overall health,” Makary emphasized. Some beneficial microbes may be missing from modern populations due to dietary and environmental changes, which could contribute to the rising rates of food allergies, he added.
Siolta Therapeutics is testing this approach with STMC-103H, an oral microbiome therapy. In a Phase 2 trial of 238 newborns with a family history of allergy, early data suggest a 77% reduction in food allergy risk, indicating that early gut microbiome tuning may prevent allergies. Final results are expected in early 2026.
Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO, claimed “food allergies may be the canary in the coal mine for a much larger health crisis tied to the microbiome.”
“Solving allergies could reveal how to prevent and treat a range of diseases — from autoimmune disorders to neurodegeneration — that impact millions of lives,” added Golant.
Food allergies affect one in 10 adults and one in 13 children, FAF reports. Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is treated in the ER for a severe reaction. Peanut allergies are among the most common, and new research shows that early introduction to peanuts can significantly reduce childhood cases. Secretary Kennedy noted at the FAF conference that peanut allergies appear to be far more common in children today than when he was growing up.
“When I was a kid, I never met anyone with a peanut allergy,” Kennedy said. “I had 11 siblings and about 71 first cousins, and I didn’t know a single person in my schools or at any of the camps I went to who had one.”
One of his sons has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and several other foods, he revealed.
“By the time he was 2 years old, we’d been to the emergency room about 22 times,” Kennedy said. “At first, I focused on how we were going to treat it and keep him safe. But my mind quickly went to the bigger question — why is this happening? I have five of my seven children with allergies.”
RFK Jr:
Kids today are looking around wondering why the hell they are sick and have food allergies?
“Nobody knew what a food allergy was when I was a kid.”
If you’re around his age, do you remember anyone having food allergies? I asked my mom and she was like “Oh my God, it’s… pic.twitter.com/zD2OQ1bz6y
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) November 18, 2025
