Researchers from University of Australia suggest that eating something as simple as a bowl of bran and dried apricots for breakfast can help inhibit food allergies. Consuming diet that is rich in Vitamin A and contains high-fiber content can strengthen your immune system that can help reduce food allergy instances in the first place. The study explained how strong immunity and good bacteria help each other in averting food allergy attacks.
For the purpose of the study, the researchers bred mice artificially to be allergic to peanuts. Then they fed them fruits and veggies that contained high amounts of vitamin A and fiber. The other group of mice were kept on a controlled diet of less sugar, fiber and calorie content. The experiments revealed that the mice that were on high fiber diet showed less severe reaction to peanut allergies, as compared to the ones who were on a controlled diet. This means that fiber produces short-chain fatty acid that helps in reducing body's response to food allergies.
When analyzed closely, the researchers also found that diet enriched in Vitamin A and fiber modified the gut bacteria that protected against allergic reaction to peanuts. This is because good bacteria are responsible for breaking down dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids.
Laurence Macia, Co-senior author University of Australia, and other researchers concluded that it is fiber that activates the production of short chain fatty acids that reduces food allergy. Thus, the findings indicate that food rich in fiber and vitamin A can prevent food allergies, while low fiber diet can cause one to have food allergies.
