Can probiotic drinks help hay fever?
Publication Date:05/06/2008
If you suffer from hay fever, you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. So anything that might relieve symptoms sounds good. A recent study has looked to see whether probiotic drinks can help prevent hay fever. The results are interesting, but we still can't be sure that probiotics help with hay fever symptoms.
What do we know already?
Hay fever is an allergy to pollen from grass, trees or other plants. It happens if your immune system over-reacts to the pollen that you breathe in, or that gets into your eyes. People usually get hay fever at particular times of the year, when grasses and trees produce pollen. For most people summer is the peak time.
Your body tries to get rid of the pollen by producing lots of mucus from your nose, or tears in your eyes. The immune system also causes inflammation, so your eyes may be red and sore, and your nose may feel blocked, or you may sneeze a lot.
Treatments for hay fever aim to calm down the body's immune response. We don't know why some people's immune systems over-react to pollen. One theory is that it's linked to the amount and type of bacteria you have in your gut. Some people think that having lots of 'healthy' bacteria in your gut can improve the way your immune system works.
Doctors have looked to see whether probiotic drinks, which include healthy bacteria, can make a difference to how your immune system reacts to pollen.
What does the new study say?
The study found small differences in one type of chemical related to the immune system, in people who had probiotic drinks. But it didn't look at whether these differences had any effect on their hay fever.
The study included 20 people with hay fever, half of whom had probiotic drinks every day. The researchers measured chemicals in people's blood before, during and after the hay fever season. One of the chemicals was IgE, which stimulates the body to produce histamine. Histamine causes most of the symptoms of hay fever. That's why many treatments for hay fever include anti-histamine drugs.
The researchers looked for differences in the amount of IgE produced in response to two types of grass pollen. They found that people who had probiotic drinks produced less IgE in response to one type of grass pollen, but not to the other type. And the total amount of IgE in people's bloodstream was the same, whether people had probiotic drinks or not.
Where does the study come from?
The study was carried out by researchers at the Institute of Food Research in Norfolk, UK. It was published in a journal called Clinical and Experimental Allergy, owned by a publishing company called Blackwell.
How reliable are the findings?
The findings are not very reliable. It's a very small study. The researchers did three tests for levels of IgE, but only one of the tests showed that probiotic drinks made any difference. It's possible this could have been down to chance. The researchers say they need to do more studies to see whether the drinks made any difference to people's hay fever symptoms.
What does this mean for me?
If you suffer from hay fever you may be tempted to try probiotic drinks. There's no evidence from this study that they will help your hay fever symptoms. But they're unlikely to do you any harm.
There are plenty of hay fever treatments that we know can help your symptoms. It may be better to try these proven treatments, rather than trying something without any evidence that it works.
What should I do now?
If you suffer from hay fever, talk to your doctor or a pharmacist. There are lots of hay fever treatments that can help keep your symptoms under control.
From:
Ivory K, Chambers SJ, Pin C, et al. Oral delivery of Lactobacillus casei Shirota modifies allergen-induced immune responses in allergic rhinitis. Clinical and Experimental Allergy. Published online 28 May 2008.
To find out more, read our information on hay fever.
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This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
