Although food allergies may cause mild allergic reactions in some people, a few may show life-threatening consequences. So, is there any way to reverse these allergies?
A study has shown that a bacterial compound called "butyrate", which is made by healthy microbiomes is effective against these allergic reactions in lab tests but may not be suitable to be taken orally because of its nasty smell and taste. Hence scientists have come up with a more edible way to deliver these microbiomes. They suggest that their "polymeric micelles" are effective against peanut allergies in mice.
Our gut microbiome contains some bacteria that produce metabolites, such as butyrate, that may stimulate the growth of good bacteria and may also maintain the lining of the gut. In people whose gut microbiome is unhealthy or weak, a lack of these butyrate-producing bacteria is seen, which may lead to fragments of partially digested food. These fragments may leak out of the gut and may cause an allergic reaction in the body.
According to scientists of this study, one way to fix this problem could be by providing the microbiomes either orally or by the faecal route, which hasn't turned out to be a good option. So, the scientists came up with another idea of only delivering the metabolites, like butyrate. But due to the nasty smell and taste of butyrate, people may not prefer taking it. The other problem of directly delivering butyrate is, that it would be digested before reaching the lower gut. Hence, to overcome this problem, scientists have designed a new delivery system. i.e., polymeric micelles, which could effectively manage food allergies.
According to them, this treatment may not just be beneficial in managing peanut allergies but may help with any type of food allergies.
Reference:
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/targeting-the-microbiome-could-reverse-food-allergies-364952
