When we hear the word bacteria the very first thought that comes to mind is of something that can make you fall sick. But what if we told you that bacteria could also be something that can prevent you from falling sick? Hard to believe, isn't it? But this is precisely what some researchers are suggesting. As per reports, the increased amounts of food allergies among young adults these days could be due to a super sterilised environment. Everything around us is squeaky clean which is why when we're exposed to even the slightest bit of harmful bacteria, we fall sick.
A study now claims that this food allergy could be reversed by introducing more 'good' bacteria. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, nearly 8% of children in the US suffer from food allergies which is alarming because the number has increased significantly in only a decade. The researchers figured that this could be due to the increased use of bacteria-resistant things like antibiotics and a sterilised environment.
For the study, the researchers decided to take a look at the gut bacteria in infants who were prone to food allergies and those who were not prone to allergies. They then used the babies' stool samples to figure out the difference between the bacteria and their bacterial makeup. To continue the study, the researchers then introduced these bacteria into allergy -prone mice.
Post this, when the mice were given food it was found that those who had been injected with bacteria from babies who were prone to food allergies were not able to combat the food allergy; basically, the bacteria failed to protect them. And the mice that had bacteria from babies who were not prone to food allergies were able to keep themselves safe; the bacteria was able to protect them against the food allergies.
The researchers took a closer look at the bacteria samples and were able to find that the bacteria that contained Clostridiales and Bacteroidales were successful in preventing allergic reactions. "The loss of these bacteria acts as a switch that makes children susceptible to food allergy," Dr. Talal Chatila, director of the Food Allergy Program at Boston Children's and a senior author on the study.
He also added that this study could possibly help figure out how to prevent food allergies in the future. Stay tuned for more updates.
