Egg allergies likely caused by problems in the gut, study finds
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HIRAKATA, Osaka Prefecture–A weak distribution of a certain intestinal bacteria raises the risk of egg allergies, a team of researchers here said, meaning that a change in diet could help prevent serious allergic reactions.
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The scientists at Kansai Medical University studied children with or without egg allergies, particularly the amount of intestinal bacteria that produces a substance known as butyric acid.
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Butyric acid is confirmed to help increase the number of regulatory T cells, or Treg cells, that inhibit excessive immune reactions.
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The bacteria level in the children with egg allergies was one-third that of their allergy-free counterparts, the researchers said. Therefore, the allergic children were prone to have fewer Treg cells in their blood, increasing the likelihood they had difficulty controlling extreme immune reactions.
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Allergic reactions can cause the body to reject safe substances, resulting in dizziness, rashes and other health problems.
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Shohei Akagawa, a lecturer of pediatrics at Kansai Medical University, said that raising the amounts of butyric acid or bacteria to generate the substance in the intestines could prove useful in curing food allergies.
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“We will establish a new therapy that can be done by consuming more dietary fiber, which feeds butyric acid-producing bacteria,” he said.
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The team focused on the subjects’ intestines, which are home to 70 percent of immune cells in the body, particularly intestinal bacteria interacting with immune cells.
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Various kinds of intestinal bacteria densely cover the mucous membrane in the intestines. They are collectively called bacterial “flora” because they resemble rows of flowers when seen through a microscope.
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The basic structure of bacterial flora is believed to be formed by the time the person turns 3. But the bacterial environment could change depending on the person’s dietary habits.
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The research team analyzed genes from the excrement of children aged between 1 and 8 to examine the state of their intestinal bacterial flora.
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The results showed children with egg allergies have a different distribution of intestinal bacteria from that of their healthy counterparts and a lower amount of the bacteria that produces butyric acid.
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The team’s findings have been published in the journal Allergy at (https://doi.org/10.1111/all.14795).
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