French research shows that prebiotics taken during pregnancy could reduce the risk of food allergies in children.
In France, 8% of children, and nearly 2% of adults, suffer from food allergies, especially to wheat. To fight against this scourge, the intestinal flora, which refers to all the bacteria present in our intestines, is much more useful than what one might think.
This flora, also called the microbiota, plays a key role in the immune system and influences its efficiency. Depending on its composition, it could even prevent these allergies which appear more and more frequently. Researchers have long tried to regulate the gut flora of people with allergies with probiotics, but they have found no noticeable effect.
Act during pregnancy
An Inserm team therefore decided to use prebiotics, sugars that serve as food for bacteria and promote their growth. In other words, the idea is to rebalance the intestinal flora by changing its composition thanks to prebiotics. To achieve the best result, this rebalancing must occur as early as possible, if possible before birth and during the first months of life.
In order to test the effect of prebiotics, the researchers administered sugar supplements to mice daily, during their pregnancy, and while they were nursing their young mice. Three weeks later, they exposed the little ones to highly allergenic wheat proteins.
As a result, young mice whose mothers had received prebiotics were less at risk of developing an allergy. These have also had the effect of promoting the expression of regulatory T lymphocytes involved in tolerance to substances foreign to the body.
To be confirmed in humans
To go further, it will be necessary to ensure that these results can be applied to humans. The researchers have already taken the lead for this next step, by formulating a request for a hospital clinical research project. This should allow the team to set up an experiment over two years, starting in 2016, with 500 to 1,000 female volunteers at risk of transmitting allergy to their child.
They will need to take prebiotics in capsules throughout the pregnancy and, if they are not breastfeeding, add these supplements to the milk in the bottles. The researchers will then follow the children to assess their risk of allergy and the severity of their symptoms. They will also see if the children have atopic dermatitis, a certain type ofeczema. The idea: to set up a new treatment for food allergies based on prebiotics.
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