Spring Allergies and Probiotics

"Hay fever affects performance, productivity and quality of life. For the people who suffer badly, it's no joke."

"For some time now, we've known that the gut microbiome of food-allergic people is different from that of those who don't have those allergies."

"We now have similar findings when it comes to hay fever and the bacteria that colonize our nasal passages."

"People with diverse bacteria in their nasal lining seem to be at lower risk of hay fever. Those with less diverse bacteria seem to be at higher risk."

"[It's never too early to start an anti-hay-fever diet.] You need to give the bacteria time to respond, and your immune system time to calm down."

Professor Adam Fox, consultant pediatric allergist, Guy's and St. Thomas' hospitals

"Our genes haven't changed in the past two decades, but allergies have risen and are continuing to do so."

"What's changed? Our food environment. Food can play a very important part in calming inflammation."

"[Children raised on anti-inflammatory diets are less likely to develop allergies in the first place, while] what you eat can certainly decrease your symptoms, too."

Shilpa Ravella, gastroenterologist, assistant professor of medicine, Columbia University Medical Center

 

"Vitamin C also acts as a natural antihistamine, which can be found in foods such as citrus fruits, broccoli, peppers, chili, kale and rocket."

"[It is, however, easily destroyed by heat and light], so trying to cook these as little as possible will help to retain more potency."

Eve Kalinik, nutritional therapist

Hay fever is a misery in the spring, leading to red eyes and sneezing. Caused by the inhalation of grass or tree pollen granules which are processed by the immune system, Hay fever is a dreaded spring event. With a genetic predisposition to developing an allergy to these plants, a risk that an inappropriate response will develop to release a chemical called histamine is highly likely. No cures for allergies exist and they're difficult to treat.

However, a growing body of studies suggest an alternative method may exist for tackling symptoms; through diet and dietary supplements. The journal Nature Microbiology published results of a study comparing nasal microbiomes of 55 hayfever-plagued adults with those of 205 healthy volunteers, finding hay-fever sufferers had a narrower range of bacteria in their noses and 17-times more of a particular kind: Streptococcus salivarius A situation that can drive the inflammation that haunts hay-fever sufferers.

Factors of lifestyle can come into play even though allergies are genetically-inherited conditions. Allergies that include hay fever are inflammatory conditions which some foods like meals containing sugary or processed ingredients can make cellular swelling worse. The Mediterranean diet as example of an anti-inflammatory therapy, can help to prevent and can alleviate hay fever in that it contains fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish and olive oil.

 

Apples are a good source of anti-inflammatories, as are onions which are both anti-inflammatory and contain as well the polyphenol quercetin, which acts as an antihistamine. Fermented foods like live yogurt, kimchee, kefir and sauerkraut are also linked to lower inflammation and higher diversity of gut bacteria. and while the science of probiotics is still in its infancy it shows great promise also in the area of treating allergies.

A study led by scientists at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne, Australia, gave the probiotic formula NC-Seasonal-Biotic to hay-fever sufferers in 2022. The finding was that it significantly reduced symptoms compared with a placebo group. In ten to 12 weeks, the noses of the volunteers ran less, their eyes were less itchy, and they slept better and felt less irritable.

Experts recommend liquid probiotics such as Symprove and BetterVits Probiotic Complex, instead of the powdered varieties.

"Hay fever is an overreaction of your immune system to pollen. If your immune system is already sensitive because of irritation in your gut, then it's highly reactive."

"If it's calm, it stands a better chance of reacting healthily to pollen."

"It's a challenge for a powdered [probiotic] product to deliver live bacteria into the gut [so opt for liquid probiotics instead]."

Dr. Simon Gaisford, professor of pharmaceutics, UCL