Allergic Disease is Inflammatory Disease

Allergic disease is an inflammatory disorder resulting from an immune overreaction to certain foreign substances, known as allergens. Common allergens include foods, pollens, fungal spores, house dust mites, and pet dander. They can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. These allergens are harmless to most people, but in certain individuals, they can cause uncomfortable symptoms involving the skin, airways, and mucous membranes, such as sneezing, watery eyes, and runny nose (NIH Allergens).

In allergic individuals, an antigen triggers a cascade of immune events, including the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. These antibodies then travel to cells, such as mast cells and eosinophils, that release histamine and inflammatory mediators. Histamine and these mediators produce allergy symptoms (NIH Overview).

Food allergies may be IgE-mediated (immediate) or non-IgE-mediated (delayed) and are most often caused by wheat, milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish, or shellfish. Symptoms usually involve the skin, gastrointestinal tract, or respiratory tract, but anaphylaxis can be fatal (Lopez 2023). Food intolerances and sensitivities may cause adverse reactions as well, though not as severe as anaphylaxis.

The impact of diet and nutrition on allergic reactions in the lungs, skin, and nose

The arrows indicate regulation. Red arrows represent nutrients and endogenous metabolites and blue arrow represents bacterial metabolites. Food components and endogenous metabolites can affect all stages of an allergic reaction by influencing the epithelial barrier and the release of alarmins, by interacting with innate and adaptive immune cells though special receptors to either promote immune activation or induce tolerance, and by directly acting on tissue epithelium and resident cells to regulate tissue inflammation and remodeling. Diet plays a critical role in determining the ecology of the gut microbiota including diversity, composition, and metabolism

Source: Zhang, Ping. “The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Allergic Diseases.” Nutrients vol. 15,17 3683. 22 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/nu15173683 This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Environmental, genetic, and dietary factors and the gut microbiome influence the occurrence and persistence of allergic diseases. For example, a Western-style diet is considered a risk factor for allergies, while the Mediterranean diet is protective. Specific protective nutrients and foods include vitamins A, D, E, zinc, iron, selenium, dietary fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids, glutamine, phytochemicals, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and fish. Nutrition factors that may increase allergy risk include excess intake of calories, processed foods, animal-based protein, or animal-based saturated fats (Zhang 2023).

The roles of nutrients and foods in allergic inflammation

Epidemiological, clinical, and animal studies have demonstrated that the Western diet promotes allergy and exacerbates symptoms of allergic diseases, whereas nutritionally balanced plant-based diets protect from allergy and reduce the severity of allergic diseases.

Source: Zhang, Ping. “The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Allergic Diseases.” Nutrients vol. 15,17 3683. 22 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/nu15173683 This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Supportive Supplements

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)

8 to 16 mg of petasin from standardized extract three to four times daily (Stengler 2016)

• In vitro studies suggest that butterbur blocks leukotriene synthesis as well as histamine binding to H1-receptors (Thomet 2002)
• Allergic rhinitis patients taking 8 mg petasins three times per day for one week experienced improvements in day- and nighttime nasal symptoms (Thomet 2002).

Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica)

300 to 500 mg daily (Stengler 2016)

• Records of traditional use and homeopathic pharmacopeias support stinging nettle’s therapeutic use in environmental hypersensitivity (Engels 2024).
• Modern research suggests it regulates mast cell degranulation, prostaglandin formation, and histamine action (Bhusal 2022, Roschek 2009).

Vitamin C

1,000 mg three to five times daily (reduce if diarrhea occurs) (Stengler 2016)

• Vitamin C administration is believed to support balanced immune function and reduce the production of proinflammatory mediators that contribute to allergy symptoms (Ghalibaf 2023).
• Patients with allergy-related respiratory or cutaneous indications given intravenous high-dose vitamin C significantly reduced disease-specific and non-specific symptoms (Vollbracht 2018).

Quercetin

1,000 mg regular quercetin three times daily (Stengler 2016) or 200 mg/day of quercetin phytosome (Yamada 2022)

• In vitro studies suggest quercetin inhibits histamine release from mast cells and inflammatory mediator activity (Mlcek 2016).
• 200 mg of quercetin phytosome, a highly absorbable form of quercetin, for four weeks improved quality of life scores and significantly decreased allergic symptoms, such as eye itching, sneezing, nasal discharge, and sleep disorder (Yamada 2022).

Other nutrients (Zhang 2023)

• Several nutrients are vital to the prevention and treatment of allergic disease, and optimal status should be maintained for:
  • Vitamins A, D, and E
  • Zinc and iron
  • Dietary fiber
  • Glutamine
  • Fatty acids
  • Phytochemicals

Optimal Takeaways

• An allergy is an inflammatory immune disorder that can involve several systems and can be fatal in the case of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis
• Maintaining optimal nutrition status can help reduce the incidence and severity of allergies
• Protective factors should be incorporated into the diet regularly:
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Phytochemicals
  • Healthy fats
• Supplements can help manage allergy symptoms:
  • Butterbur
  • Stinging nettles
  • Vitamin C
  • Quercetin

• Allergies may be a sign of toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT). CLICK HERE to learn more about TILT

  
  

References

Allergens. National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/allergens 

Bhusal, Khuma Kumari, et al. "Nutritional and pharmacological importance of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.): A review." Heliyon 8.6 (2022).

Engels G, Brinckman J. Stinging Nettle. Herbalgram; American Botanical Council. 110:8-16. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/110/table-of-contents/hg110-herbpro-stingingnettle/

Ghalibaf, Mohammad Hossein Eshaghi, et al. "The effects of vitamin C on respiratory, allergic and immunological diseases: an experimental and clinical-based review." Inflammopharmacology 31.2 (2023): 653-672.

Lopez, Claudia M., et al. “Food Allergies.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 24 July 2023.

Mlcek, Jiri et al. “Quercetin and Its Anti-Allergic Immune Response.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 21,5 623. 12 May. 2016, doi:10.3390/molecules21050623

Overview: Allergies. National Institutes of Health. InformedHealth.org. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447112/

Roschek Jr, Bill, et al. "Nettle extract (Urtica dioica) affects key receptors and enzymes associated with allergic rhinitis." Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives 23.7 (2009): 920-926.

Stengler M, et al. Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-care Guide for Treating Health Problems With Natural Remedies Including Diet, Nutrition, Supplements, and Other Holistic Methods. Third ed. Turner Publishing Co, 2016.Todorova, Velislava et al. "Plant adaptogens—History and future perspectives." Nutrients, 13.8 (2021): 2861.

Thomet, Olivier AR, et al. "Anti-inflammatory activity of an extract of Petasites hybridus in allergic rhinitis." International immunopharmacology 2.7 (2002): 997-1006.

Vollbracht, Claudia et al. “Intravenous vitamin C in the treatment of allergies: an interim subgroup analysis of a long-term observational study.” The Journal of international medical research vol. 46,9 (2018): 3640-3655. doi:10.1177/0300060518777044

Yamada, S et al. “Effects of repeated oral intake of a quercetin-containing supplement on allergic reaction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel-group study.” European review for medical and pharmacological sciences vol. 26,12 (2022): 4331-4345. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202206_29072 

Yang, Dengyu, et al. "Quercetin: its main pharmacological activity and potential application in clinical medicine." Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2020.1 (2020): 8825387.

Zhang, Ping. “The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Allergic Diseases.” Nutrients vol. 15,17 3683. 22 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/nu15173683