Probiotics Could Help Defeat Seasonal Allergy Symptoms

By: Cari Nierenberg Published: May 04, 2015 01:09pm ET on LiveScience. Probiotics, or "good bacteria," may be helpful to people with seasonal allergies, a new review suggests. Researchers analyzed the results from more than 20 previous studies and found that hay fever sufferers may get some benefits from using probiotics, improving their symptoms and quality of life. But the jury is still out about whether probiotics are actually an effective treatment for people with seasonal allergies, said lead author Dr. Justin Turner, an ear-nose-and-throat surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Additional high-quality studies are needed before doctors would recommend for or against using probiotics to help treat people with seasonal allergies, Turner said. Probiotics are bacteria that are thought to help maintain a healthy gut. They are found in certain foods, such as yogurt with live active cultures, kefir and sauerkraut, and also supplements. Probiotics may change the balance of bacteria in the intestines in a way that could protect the immune system from flaring up in response to pollens and other allergens, which may help reduce allergy symptoms, Turner said. [9 Myths About Seasonal Allergies] But he also cautioned that there is still much more information that needs to be understood about the effect of probiotics on the immune system. Unanswered questions Seasonal allergies are estimated to affect approximately 50 million Americans...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news