Fight Hay Fever with Probiotics

Are sniffling, sneezing, and watering eyes getting you down? Probiotics may help alleviate these common hay fever symptoms, according to scientists at the Institute of Food Research (IFR).

In the first human study of its kind, 10 people with hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) were randomly assigned to receive daily milk drinks containing the probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) or placebo. Researchers found that the drink may modulate the immune response to grass pollen, and help hay fever sufferers.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen or fungal spores. Our immune system mistakes the spores for harmful invaders and, as a result, creates chemicals to bind to the pollen to fight them off. Researchers reported that probiotic supplementation increased the amount of the immune chemicals the body produced to fight the allergic reaction. (Ivory K. et al. Clinical and Experimental Allergy. Published online ahead of print May 28, 2008, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03025.)

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Millions of american suffer from alergies which greatly affect their quality of life. This small study found that probiotics could significantly reduce the production of molecules associated with allergies; thus, adding to the supplement’s health benefits which include improved intestinal health.

QUICK TIP: Here are five great reasons to eat probiotic-rich yogurt, from Jean Carper. Learn More

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Written exclusively for Stop Aging Now, the authority on anti-aging research, anti-aging nutrition, and anti-aging supplements.