Probiotics Improve Immunity & Hay Fever.
Scientists from the UK-based Institute of Food Research have conducted an innovative human study into hay fever. What they have found is that daily doses of probiotic bacteria can change the immune system’s response to grass pollen, a common cause of seasonal hay fever.
As part of this latest study, volunteers with a history of seasonal hay fever drank a daily milk drink with or without live bacteria over five months. The study was double-blinded and placebo controlled, so neither the volunteers nor the scientists knew who had been assigned the probiotic drinks. The probiotic drinks contained Lactobacillus casei, a bacterial species that has been studied for its health promoting properties.
Blood samples were taken before the grass pollen season, then again when it was at its peak (June), and four weeks after the end of season. There were no significant differences in levels of IgE in the blood between the two groups at the start of the study, but IgE levels were lower in the probiotic group both at the peak season and afterwards.
'The probiotic strain we tested changed the way the body’s immune cells respond to grass pollen, restoring a more balanced immune response', says Dr Kamal Ivory, a senior member of the group.
The changes observed may also reduce the severity of symptoms, but clinical symptoms were not measured in this study. That is one aim of further research. They intend to perform a similar study in the near future to see if the immunological changes translate into a real reduction in the clinical symptoms of hay fever. They would also like to examine the mechanisms involved.