When you suffer from food allergy we always live on alert and find ourselves forced to deprive ourselves of some joys for the palate in order to avoid feeling very ill and, sometimes, ending up in hospital. In the allergic subjectscontact with a food that is commonly eaten by the majority of individuals without particular problems can trigger a strong response, in some cases very serious, in the immune system.
In general, food allergies can interbreed with pollen-related allergies, so it’s good to be careful with your diet and separate the friendly nutrients from those that could cause you some problems. The functional foods they are natural products or products enriched with molecules with invigorating properties, which have the ability to help regulate physiological processes, lowering the body’s tendency to respond to stimuli with inflammatory processes.
Read also: celiac disease and food allergies
The most common allergies can appear in childhood and adolescence, but there are also many people in adulthood who suffer from them. In particular, the little ones can present critical issues with cow’s milk and eggsor also wheat and tomato, but in some cases everything can even be overcome with the passage of time. Also soy and legumes they can be a bit annoying. Obviously, it is necessary to see if there are hereditary genetic predispositions. As adults, on the other hand, it’s more of a problem than anything else nuts (especially peanuts) e pesce, especially in Mediterranean regions such as Italy. Also pay attention to new wine which contains a quite allergenic protein, LTP, present in grape skin. As always, when in doubt, consult a specialist and follow his instructions.
Functional foods
On the other hand, there are gods functional foods and herbs that can provide natural relief to allergy sufferers. He also found it in some of his scientific observations Jenna Fox, dietician nutritionist from Austin, Texas. Here are some pointers.
Vegetables and fruits with vitamin C
An example are i Brussels sprouts, which can be eaten as a side dish, but also as an alternative veg snack and as a complement to accompany a first course of pasta. There vitamin C is a valuable water-soluble micronutrient, present in many vegetablesgreat for help regulate the body’s inflammatory responses. It is also contained in the Red peppers and in other cruciferous vegetables such as i cabbage and cauliflower. Likewise and for similar reasons, they are excellent oranges, clementines and grapefruit.
Nettle leaves
It has been noted that they also give relief to those suffering from allergic rhinitis. This plant, in fact, would have an effect similar to that of a natural antihistamine in the body, stemming symptoms such as a runny nose or excessive mucus production in the throat and lungs. One can take the nettle through infusion obtained from its dried leaves or in the form of a delicious side dish, sautéed in a pan with garlic, onion, oil and salt;
Raw honey
As the nutritionist also pointed out Volpesome studies suggest that the daily consumption of local raw honey or raw manuka honey in certain quantities can help provide natural relief from allergies Seasonal. “Raw honey contains high levels of propolis, a constituent that has many health-promoting properties, including the inhibition of mast cells (the type of immune cell involved in allergic reactions),” explained the expert.
Fruits and vegetables rich in quercetin
The quercetin it’s a antioxidant substance present in many types of fruit and vegetables and has proven calming effects to quell an overactive histamine response in the immune system. It can be found in red onions (Tropea onions), asparagus and raw capers, present in good quantities, but also in a natural superfood such as Kale cabbage.
Inflammaging, inflammation and aging
L’aging and diseases linked to the passage of time are characterized by some basic mechanisms which largely affect inflammatory states and allergies. It’s one of the starting observations of a 2018 study published in ‘Nature Reviews Endocrinology’signed by Claudius Franceschi and by the team led by the well-known immunologist, formed by Paolo Garagnani, Paolo Parini, Cristina Giuliani and Aurelia Santoro, of the Department of Diagnostic and Experimental Specialist Medicine (DIMES) of the Alma Mater of Bologna. Franceschi, professor emeritus of the University of Bologna, was the first to observe that the aging process is characterized by a chronic, sterile and mild inflammatory state. The phenomenon has been called “inflammaging” (‘inflammation + aging, to be precise). Inflammaging contributes to the pathogenesis of age-related diseases.
Molecular junk
In a previous article published on ‘Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism’again by the Bolognese research group led by Franceschi, the hypothesis was proposed according to which one of the most important sources of inflammatory stimuli that support inflammaging is formed by the continuous production of “molecular junk” by the cells of our organs and tissues. As systems age, they must dispose of these waste residues which become less effective, thus activating some scavenger cells of the immune system innate, such as macrophages. An innovative vision, important for opening new avenues of development regarding anti-aging strategies.
Key points
Again based on the study published on ‘Nature Reviews Endocrinology’therefore, according to the new discipline of Geroscienceinflammation is one of seven mechanistic pillars of aging which are shared by age-related diseases, including metabolic diseases.
- Inflammation is the long-term result of chronic physiological stimulation of the innate immune systemwhich can become harmful during aging, a period of life largely unforeseen by evolution.
- Inflammation is the by-product of the degeneration of some receptors which can sense a variety of signals of damage and risk and activate the innate immune system.
- Inflammation and meta-inflammation largely share the same molecular mechanismswhere meta-inflammation can be conceptualized as a specific situation of chronic inflammation caused by a excess of nutrients.
- A central role in meta-inflammation and inflammation is played by intestinal microbiotathat can release inflammatory agents and contribute to circadian rhythms and to “crosstalk” with other organs and systems.
- I biomarkers of biological agesuch as DNA methylation, glycomics, metabolomics and lipidomics, can be successfully applied to metabolic diseases.