We were taught that the only way to prevent food allergies is by not eating the food that triggers it, this has been easier said than done. Now, a new study found that there may be a simple way to prevent or even reverse food allergies: a high-fiber diet, enriched with vitamin A.
The research came from the University in Australia, suggests that eating a simple bowl of bran and some dried apricots for breakfast can help prevent allergies. Eating a diet rich in fiber and vitamin A- rich can help shape the immune system to reduce food allergies to a substance for individuals with allergy such as peanuts. It revealed, mainly in the gut, how the immune system and good bacteria work together to help prevent fatal allergic attacks, reports Nature World News.
Diet high in fiber and vitamin A key to preventing #allergies to peanuts and other triggers https://t.co/K0JIDwIg3h
— Juan C Ivancevich MD (@Aller_MD) June 22, 2016
For the study, researchers had artificially bred mice to be allergic to peanuts; they fed some of the mice fruits and vegetables which are high-fiber and rich in vitamin A, while others were fed a controlled diet with less fiber, sugar, and calorie content. They found that mice with a high-fiber diet lessened the severity of the allergic reactions to peanuts than mice with a controlled diet. It shows fiber helps produce short-chain fatty acid which reduces food allergic response.
On closer analysis, the researchers found that the high-fiber diet, enriched with vitamin A altered the gut bacteria which served as protection against allergic reactions to peanuts. It can be explained that good bacteria in the gut break down dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids.
For 3 weeks, the allergic mice were given water enriched with short-chain fatty acids, before giving them peanuts. Their allergic response was reduced thus cementing the findings.
Co-senior author Laurence Macia, of Monash University in Australia, and colleagues concluded that overall, fiber triggers short-chain fatty acid production to reduce food allergy. The findings indicate that a diet low in fiber could lead to food allergies, and on the other hand, a high-fiber diet, enriched with vitamin A could be a simple way to lower or prevent food allergy risk, as per MNT.
