A study has linked the development in kids of any of food allergy, asthma, eczema and rhinitis to a common factor – an unbalanced gut microbiome.
Researchers have long been intrigued by the gut microbiome in the development of allergic diseases. But this Canadian study is unique in identifying a common origin in infancy across the four separate allergic diseases. As well, it explored the composition of gut bacteria in children before and following allergic sensitization.
As each allergic disease has a separate list of symptoms, they are usually studied on their own. “But when you look at what is going wrong at a cellular level, they actually have a lot in common,” notes Dr. Charisse Petersen, co-senior author and a researcher at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and BC Children’s Hospital.