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A plant-based diet may reduce the risk of allergies. In India, those eating the most fruit and vegetables, rather than supplements (though probiotics and prebiotics have a positive effect on the common cold), were much less likely to report asthma or other allergies. The consumption of red rice, green tea, and especially white button mushrooms may help protect against atopic (allergic) diseases. Listening to Mozart may also reduce allergic reactions.
About 1 in 1,000 people may have a wheat allergy, and gluten sensitivity may be on the rise, although those who suspect they are gluten intolerant, should first try to improve their diet before going on a gluten-free diet, since many who avoid gluten for symptom control end up having a different disease altogether.
Components in meat that may trigger allergic reactions include antibiotics and parasitic fish worms. Seafood and meat consumption were associated with higher prevalence of asthma, pollen allergies, and eczema. There are certain meat allergies that may be triggered by the Lone Star Tick. Dairy has been linked to the recurrence of canker sores, and cow’s milk is a leading allergen.
Though monosodium glutamate does not appear to trigger traditional allergic reactions, certain artificial colorings might due to the presence of cochineal, a red coloring derived from insects. Common household chemicals may also cause allergy-related diseases.
There is no evidence that pregnant women consuming peanuts results in children with peanut allergies, but 1% of people do report nut allergies.
Image Credit: Iain Watson / Flickr. This image has been modified.
Topic summary contributed by Wyatt
There is a food that offers the best of both worlds—significantly improving our ability to detox carcinogens, like diesel fumes, and decreasing inflammation in our airways, all the while improving our respiratory defenses against infections.
Eating seaweed salad may boost the efficacy of vaccinations and help treat cold sores, herpes, Epstein-Barr virus, and shingles.
Given the role our gut bacteria can play in affecting our weight, having family and friends who are obese may not just be socially contagious, but actually contagious.
Is it the casein or the cow insulin that explains the link between milk consumption and the development of type I diabetes?
How can soy foods have it both ways—pro-estrogenic effects in some organs (protecting bones and reducing hot flash symptoms), but anti-estrogenic effects in others (protecting against breast and endometrial cancer)?
Cow’s milk proteins can pass through breast milk—which may explain why maternal dairy-free diets are so effective in treating infant colic.
If depression can be induced with pro-inflammatory drugs, might an anti-inflammatory diet be effective in preventing and treating mood disorders?
What effects do laughing, crying, kissing, cuddling, and sex have on immune function and allergic responses?
Compared to bananas, does eating kiwifruit decrease the incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract infections?
Music can beat out anti-anxiety drugs, Mozart can reduce allergic reactions, and how listening to your favorite tunes can significantly affect your testosterone levels.
The yellow fluid around tomato seeds appears to suppress platelet activation without affecting blood clotting. This anti-inflammatory effect may explain why eating tomato products is associated with lower cardiac mortality.
After a formal evaluation to rule out celiac disease, those who suspect they might have gluten sensitivity should first try improving their diet and then have other causes excluded before going on a gluten-free diet, since as many as 1 in 3 people who avoid gluten for symptom control end up having a different disease altogether.