Allergic Disease and Sensitization in Steiner School Children is featured in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (JACI) and is currently available on the JACI's Web site. The JACI is the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).

The study, which focused on more than 6,600 from five European countries ages 5 to 13, showed that children in the Steiner schools, which are similar to Waldorf schools, who are often raised in an anthroposophic lifestyle, have a lower risk of allergy. Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner developed the anthroposophic lifestyle in which health is a combination of mind, body and spiritual balance; his followers integrate both modern medicine with alternative, nature-based treatments. The study compared the Steiner school children with their non-Steiner counterparts who lived in the same region.

The purpose of the Prevention of Allergy--Risk Factors for Sensitization Related to Farming and Anthroposophic Lifestyle (PARSIFAL) study was to identify possible protective factors for allergy associated with the anthroposophic lifestyle. A previous Swedish study showed a reduced risk of atophy, but the specific reason behind that was not discovered.

Information about environmental exposure, history of infections, diet, animal contact, anthroposophic lifestyle and symptoms and diagnoses of allergic diseases was collected through a parental questionnaire. A blood sample was also collected from the children who resided in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

Researchers observed a lower prevalence of current symptoms and doctor's diagnosis of rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema and asthma and atopic sensitization in the Steiner school children compared to non-Steiner children. Early use of antibiotics and fever reducers, along with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination were also associated with increased risks of several allergic symptoms and doctor's diagnoses.

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"Perhaps as we age, hedgehog signals become blocked or decreased. This study implies that if we block hedgehog signals, humans would have less bone and more fat. Conversely, if we can activate the pathway, we might be able to prevent or reverse osteoporosis and simultaneously prevent or reduce fat accumulation," he said.

Dr. Graff said that other researchers have spent a great deal of effort developing agents to regulate the hedgehog pathway. These agents, currently in the early development phase for anti-cancer treatments, hold promise for human use.

"The drugs already in clinical development might be useful for this purpose as well," Dr. Graff said. "If medicine could stimulate the hedgehog pathway in adults, those adults could potentially not only get leaner and become more fit, but could also add bone mass as well. That could affect obesity, diabetes, lipodystrophy and osteoporosis, all of which are major human diseases."

Dr. Graff cautioned that because the hedgehog pathway is so involved in many biological processes, side effects are possible. However, agents could be developed to target hedgehog therapies to specific human tissues, such as fat or bone, he said.

"There are still tremendous hurdles to overcome before a treatment or a drug is developed," Dr. Graff said. "We have to do the basic research before we even know what those hurdles are."

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