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Is There a Role for Probiotics in the Prevention or Treatment of Food Allergy?

  • FOOD ALLERGY (D ATKINS, SECTION EDITOR)
  • Published:
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Abstract

A balanced gut microbiota is crucial for the development of healthy immunoregulation and gut barrier function to allow brisk immune responses to pathogens and systemic hyporesponsiveness to harmless antigens such as food. Although the first allergic disease to manifest itself, atopic eczema, is not equivalent to food allergy, pre- and postnatal administration of specific probiotic strains has emerged as a promising tool for the prevention of this condition, with potential implications for food allergy development. For food allergy proper, however, we lack markers and risk factors and mechanisms, i.e., targets for preventive measures. The focus here is therefore on the treatment. Indeed, the potential of specific probiotic strains to alleviate food allergy resides in their ability to modify antigens, repair gut barrier functions, balance altered microbiota, and restore local and systemic immune regulation. In patients with multiple food allergies, induction of oral tolerance by specific probiotics continues to attract research interest.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Samuli Rautava, MD, for comments on the manuscript. Erika Isolauri has received research funding from the Paivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation and the Turku University Hospital EVO Funding.

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Conflict of Interest

Merja Nermes, Seppo Salminen and Erika Isolauri declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Department of Paediatrics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, 20520, Turku, Finland

    Merja Nermes & Erika Isolauri

  2. Functional Foods Forum, University of Turku, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4-8, 20520, Turku, Finland

    Seppo Salminen

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  1. Merja Nermes
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  2. Seppo Salminen
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  3. Erika Isolauri
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Correspondence to Erika Isolauri.

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Nermes, M., Salminen, S. & Isolauri, E. Is There a Role for Probiotics in the Prevention or Treatment of Food Allergy?. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 13, 622–630 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-013-0381-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-013-0381-9

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