Targeted micronutrition ameliorates allergy symptoms

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - Micronutrient deficiencies can promote inflammation and render the immune system particularly sensitive to allergenic substances. In particular, iron deficiency signals danger to immune cells and leads to a more pronounced, exaggerated immune response. For the first time, scientists at the Messerli Research Institute of MedUni Vienna, Vetmeduni Vienna and the University of Vienna conducted a placebo-controlled trial and showed that targeted dietary measures can reduce the symptom burden in allergic reactions. The researchers are therefore treading a completely new path in the care of allergy sufferers. The study was recently published in "The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice". The background to the studies conducted by researchers at the inter-university Messerli Research Institute in collaboration with the University Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases at MedUni Vienna is the vicious circle of allergy: a hyperactive immune system sets the body on alert and inhibits adequate absorption of iron - even though this is precisely the micronutrient needed to moderate the overreaction. To compensate micronutrional deficiencies in immune cells, the scientific team developed a lozenge that was tested for the first time in a double-blind, placebo-controlled manner as part of the study.