The incidence of allergic conditions is increasing rapidly: according to a recent estimate, up to 20 per cent of children in the West have asthma, while between 15 and 23 per cent get hayfever and 15 to 19 per cent suffer from eczema. Overall, about 7% of the population suffer from hayfever, a seasonal allergic condition that can cause sore eyes, sneezing and a runny nose.

In the past, hayfever was thought to be separate from eczema and asthma. However, recently, the overlap between these conditions (collectively called atopic disease) has become evident. In fact, most people who suffer from asthma are prone to hayfever. And hayfever can exacerbate symptoms of eczema and asthma.

An allergic response causes excessive inflammation, due to an abnormal reaction of the immune system. In theory, any substance entering the body has the potential to trigger an allergic response (ie to become an allergen) in a sensitised person, but it is usually a protein. Common airborne allergens causing hayfever or asthma include pollen (often from trees or grass), mould spores or house dust mite, many foods can act as allergens too. During the hayfever season, an atopic person with symptomless sensitivity to a food may experience eczema, because the combined impact between inhaled and food allergens increases the body’s total allergen burden.

Doctors can provide antihistamines or steroids to reduce allergic inflammation, but avoiding exposure to the offending allergen will also help. Furthermore, a pregnant woman with a history of allergies can reduce her baby’s allergy risk by breastfeeding for the first four to six months of his/her life.

Alleviating allergies

Diet. A diet rich in antioxidants and high in omega 3 essential fatty acids is generally anti-inflammatory and there are a lot of good theoretical reasons for this. Three studies reported in 2003 indicate that this strategy is also helpful for people suffering from allergies. The first study was by Italian researchers¹, in which parents of 4,104 children aged six to seven with asthma and allergies completed a questionnaire. Results showed that, compared with children on low intakes, high intakes of fruit and vegetables, especially citrus fruit, reduced wheezing, while consumption of margarine increased it. The second² was a four-year study of 2,531 children by Norwegian researchers. They found that those who ate fish before their first birthday had less hayfever and asthma. The third was undertaken in Germany when 344 adult hayfever sufferers were compared with healthy people³. It was found that a high intake of food rich in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin C reduced the risk of hayfever.

Hence, if you have an allergy, it is especially important that you eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day to keep up your antioxidant level. To improve your fatty acid balance, cut down on sunflower and other seed oils and replace them with olive oil and olive oil products. This reduces your intake of omega 6 fatty acids, which are too high in modern diets. Next, increase your intake of omega 3 fatty acids by eating oily fish and/or taking a fish oil supplement. Several articles, including one written by myself, have appeared in previous Healthspan magazines to explain the ‘hows and whys’ of achieving a proper fatty acid balance.

Supplements

Antioxidants. Studies on supplements for allergies, in contrast to dietary examples are scarce. Nevertheless, two Italian studies provide useful evidence. In 1990, compared with placebo, a single dose of 2g of vitamin C was shown to improve lung capacity after one hour in sixteeen hayfever sufferers⁴.

A larger study on 96 subjects with eczema reported reduced symptoms in those taking vitamin E (natural source, 400iu per day) compared to placebo. Furthermore, there was a near-complete remission in some subjects taking vitamin E, compared with none on placebo⁵.

Fish oil. Some but not all studies with asthma sufferers have shown benefit of fish oil supplementation. Although currently there is no official recommendation on its use for the condition, an influential Cochrane review concluded that there is no risk of taking fish oil if a person with asthma chooses to do so. Indeed, fish oil taken during pregnancy may reduce allergy among infants. For example, Australian research has found that babies of mothers who had taken fish oil capsules during pregnancy had fewer allergies that those whose mothers had taken a placebo.

Probiotics. Over the last two or three years, evidence has been building on the benefits of regularly taking probiotics (beneficial bacteria), either as yoghurt or in capsules. In a Finnish study (2001), a supplement of a lactobacillus probiotic was given daily to 132 pregnant women with a family history of allergy before delivery and then to their babies for up to six months of age. The frequency of eczema among the babies in the probiotic group was half that of the placebo group⁶. Even hayfever may respond to probiotics! Research from Taiwan reported this year that a daily serving of fermented milk taken for a month reduced hayfever symptoms in 60 patients when compared with placebo.

Herbal help

The only herb which has substantial clinical evidence to support its traditional use for the treatment of hayfever is butterbur (Petasites hybridus); several small studies have shown it to be as effective as antihistamine medications. Nevertheless, there are a number of herbs which have been traditionally used for treating allergic conditions; these include nettle leaves, elderflowers, red sage, plantain, camomile and ground ivy. For self-help, look for herbal formulations containing these herbs in your local pharmacy or health food shop. However, if such preparations are ineffective, you may need an individually-prescribed herbal formula. There is a very effective anti-allergy herb called ephedra which is not available in over-the-counter products and which only herbal practitioners can prescribe. To find one, call the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (01429 776788) or the National Institute of Medical Herbalists on 01392 426022.

Conclusions

Allergies are caused by excessive inflammation in response to a trigger or an allergen. New studies have shown that, even if exposure to the allergen cannot be eliminated entirely, reducing the body’s inflammatory response through diet and supplementation can help to ameliorate allergic symptoms. In this respect, the twin nutritional approaches of enhancing intakes of antioxidants and omega 3 essential fatty acids could be particularly helpful.

¹ Farchi S et al. (2003). Eur Respir J 22, 719.
² Nafstad P et al. (2003). J Asthma 40, 343.
³ Nagel G et al. (2003). Allergy 58, 1277.
⁴ Bucca C et al. (1990). Ann Allergy 65, 311.
⁵ Tsoureli-Nikita E et al. (2002). Int J Dermatol 41, 146.
⁶ Kalliomaki M et al. (2001). Lancet 357,1076.

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