Research of potential food allergy treatments has focused on two primary outcomes: desensitization and tolerance. Desensitization occurs when there is a change in the threshold dose of a food allergen required to trigger an allergic reaction. Patients who are desensitized require regular exposure to the food allergen in order to continue this state of protection. If stopped, desensitization ceases and the risk of reaction upon exposure to the food allergen is higher. Tolerance allows for ingestion of a food allergen without continuous exposure and is the result of underlying immune system changes, but these may take significant time to develop. The concept of sustained unresponsiveness has been introduced to reflect the state in which some
