How Gut Health Shapes Immune Responses and Allergies

A study released in 2023 offered new insights into allergies. Food allergies are one area where the increased cases have been alarming. Between 1997 and 2011, confirmed food allergies increased by 50%. The same 50% increase occurred between 2007 and 2021.

Ten percent of adults have a food allergy. Over half of people with food allergies have had at least one severe reaction. One out of 13 children have food allergies, and 42% of those children have suffered one or more severe reactions.

New information shows that gut health plays a vital role in your body’s immune response. All kinds of allergies – food, environmental, seasonal, insect stings, and eczema – occur when the body overreacts to exposure to the allergen. An improper immune response triggers inflammation that triggers the many symptoms you experience, and your gut health is an important link in maintaining a healthy immune response.

Understanding the Gut Microbiome

To better understand what your gut microbiome does, you need to understand what is meant by the “gut.” It’s your gastrointestinal (GI) tract that includes your stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The bacteria in your stomach and small intestine differ from those found in the large intestine (colon). 

The stomach and small intestine need more oxygen to stay active and handle digestion. High-oxygen bacteria are found in these areas. The colon doesn’t need higher levels of oxygen as the digestion process is over. As a result, those bacteria are the type that don’t need as much.

The Role the Gut Microbiome Plays

Throughout your life, your gut microbiome changes. The microbiome starts forming before birth as the mother shares her cells through the placenta and amniotic fluid. At birth, the gut microbiome is busy helping the immune system learn to identify harmful substances. It’s a time when the different immune cells develop and grow. B cells and T cells are two of the most important, but there are more than 1,000 microbes. They’re all impacted by your diet, lifestyle, illnesses, and environment.

B cells and T cells are lymphocytes that help trigger the body’s defense response. B cells make antibodies that fight pathogens like bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc. T cells destroy those pathogens and sound the alarm to your immune system that there’s a threat. That triggers inflammation that causes many of your allergy symptoms.

As a child grows, the microbiome grows, too. By adulthood, it stabilizes and becomes relatively balanced, but even adults can experience changes. A stomach flu, poor diet, consumption of alcohol, food poisoning, and many other issues can impact the biome’s balance. Older adults also find it changes because their bodies don’t produce as much saliva and medications can harm the beneficial bacteria.

Every part of your body benefits from a healthy gut biome. These beneficial bacteria can break down fiber and carbohydrates to produce short-chain fatty acids and certain vitamins like several B vitamins and vitamin K. It also helps the process in which bile digests fats from the foods you eat. If your gut biome isn’t healthy, the liver cannot recycle the bile acids, which impacts your cholesterol levels.

The immune system relies heavily on your gut’s microbes. When you have insufficient bacteria, there’s room for bad bacteria to grow, which causes infections within the GI tract. A balanced level of beneficial bacteria also helps with inflammation. If that balance becomes unbalanced, your immune system can overreact and trigger chronic inflammation that’s tied to allergies and other chronic health conditions.

Tips for Improving Gut Health

What are the best ways to improve your microbiome? Here are the four steps to follow.

Improve Your Diet

Your diet is the first step to improving your gut health. A diet that focuses on processed foods, saturated fats, and sugar doesn’t help your microbes stay healthy. It impedes their growth and allows bad bacteria to thrive. 

Instead, you want to eat a balanced diet that provides vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy bacteria. A cup of plain Greek yogurt boosts your gut’s good bacteria. Top it with fresh fruit and muesli that’s packed with healthy fats from nuts and fiber from oats.

Follow the guidelines that have you eating different colors of vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and dairy. Avoid foods that are processed and packed with preservatives.

Stop Smoking and Drinking

Tobacco and alcohol wreak havoc on your gut biome. Stop smoking. You may need the help of a doctor and prescription medications that help you stop. If you drink, cut back or stop completely. Instead of grabbing an ice-cold IPA after getting home from work, take some seltzer and add hop oil, or look for breweries that make hop water. It tastes like beer without the alcohol and sugar.

Get Enough Exercise

Stress can impact your gut health as stomach acid production increases when stress levels are high. One of the best ways to ease stress is through exercise. Look into Tai Chi or Yoga classes if you can. They’re recommended because they add meditative breathing to the movements, which helps reduce stress. If not, take a brisk walk for 30 minutes to an hour every day. If pollen counts or wildfire smoke are too much, walk inside on a treadmill or inside a mall.

Don’t Overuse Medications

Prescription and over-the-counter medications impact your gut health, too. Antibiotics are prescribed for everything from sinus infections to UTIs. While they have their place in medicine, they also kill microbes in the gut. If you need them to treat an infection, add extra yogurt, kefir, or other probiotic-rich items that increase gut flora.

The Value of Working With an Allergy Specialist

Allergies are a complex issue that can be tied to many factors. It can be genetic, related to weak gut microbiomes, and even high levels of stress. It’s important to work with an allergy expert to determine what you’re allergic to. Once that’s complete, you can start working on a plan to address your allergies.

Over-the-counter antihistamines aren’t the only solution to allergies. Prescription medications might work better for you, but there are also allergy shots and oral immunotherapy drops or dissolvable tablets you place under your tongue. If you’re looking for lasting relief, you have options, but it requires you to talk to an allergy doctor.

The symptoms you experience can be eased by changing your diet, altering your environment, or undergoing immunotherapy. Arrange a consultation with Premium Allergy and take the first step towards permanent relief from those troublesome symptoms.