National Ledger - Allergy Relief: Probiotics Offers Hope for Hay Fever Sufferers

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By Jo Anne Way Jun 4, 2008

Researchers in Britain have reported that consumption of a daily probiotic drink can alter the immune system response to common causes of allergies. Probiotics may just offer some hope for hay fever sufferers. In the first human study of its kind, scientists at the Institute of Food Research (IFR) randomly assigned 10 people with hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) to receive daily probiotic milk drinks or placebo.

Allergy Relief: Probiotics Offers Hope for Hay Fever Sufferers

"The good thing about the probiotics that are used now, lactobacillus and bifido bacteria, is that both of those just completely lack the genes that are required to cause disease," said Gary Huffnagle, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine.

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"So even from a theoretical standpoint, it would be extremely difficult to cause disease. And from a practical standpoint, we have never seen in, despite billions of doses in billions of people." Hayfever is an allergic reaction to pollen or fungal spores, most commonly grass pollen.

In the study, volunteers with a history of seasonal allergies consumed a daily milk drink with or without Lactobacillus casei. Probiotics contain live micro-organisms that colonize the intestine. They are found naturally in many fermented foods, such as yogurt and certain juices, and are also available as supplements. The small study found that the probiotics changed the immune system's response to grass pollen, a common cause of allergies, and balanced antibodies in a way that might alleviate allergies in those suffering with the condition.

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The pilot study was sponsored by Yakult Honsha of Japan and the British Biotechnology and Science Research Council

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