Food allergy is quite a significant problem for the healthcare system of the US. More than ten percent of the country’s population is susceptible to food allergies of different kinds (Zhao et al., 2019). There are several reasons for allergic reactions’ emerging, and gut dysbiosis is one of them. The gut microbiome contains thousands of bacteria, both good and bad. They may either help cure and prevent diseases or cause them. The present essay addresses the impact gut bacteria has on food allergies to establish the connection between these two phenomena.
The gut microbiome plays an important role in forming both the adaptive and the innate immune systems. Recent research has proven that alternations in microbiome development may result in allergic reactions and even lead to asthma, eczema, or other allergic-related diseases (Lopez-Santamarina et al., 2021). The studies also confirm that gut dysbiosis may become a reason for the further development of food allergies. Newborn children are the most susceptible to this problem since their microbiome develops really fast and is still not strong enough to eliminate harmful bacteria.
However, the influence of microbiome and allergic reactions on each other may be considered mutual. People with food allergies have a distinct gut microbiome, which differs depending on the type of the allergy (Bunyavanich & Berin, 2019). However, since the gut microbiome develops during the lifetime, its changes may influence the allergy as well. In addition, it is necessary to understand that allergies do not develop only due to the weakness of gut immunity. Their emergence is dictated by a group of factors which include the environment people live in, the diet they stick to, and the level of their physical activity. Apart from that, the microbiota of other body systems other such as respiratory or integumentary systems, since they deal with internal and external bacteria and are influenced by them.
Taking into account all mentioned above, it is possible to conclude that the gut microbiome is connected with the emergence of food allergies and may influence them. However, their connection does not presume the gut microbiome is the only factor that influences allergic reactions. Food allergies are complicated and ambiguous phenomena. That is why it is necessary to assess other external and internal factors that may cause their appearance.
References
Bunyavanich, S. & Berin, M. C. (2019). Food allergy and the microbiome: Current understandings and future directions. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 144(6), 1468-1477. Web.
Lopez-Santamarina, A., Gonzalez, E. G., Lamas, A., Mondragon, A. D. C., Regal, P. & Miranda, J.M. (2021). Probiotics as a possible strategy for the prevention and treatment of allergies. A narrative review. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(4), 1-19. Web.
Zhao, W., Ho, H. E. & Bunyavanich, S. (2019). The gut microbiome in food allergy. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: Official Publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 122(3), 276-282. Web.