The Relationship Between Seasonal Allergies and Food Sensitivities - by Naturopathic Doctor C Flanagan
It’s that time of year!
Spring has sprung and so have those pesky environmental allergies for many. Symptoms such as a runny, stuffy nose; sneezing; coughing; congestion; itchy, watery eyes; and often the reliance on over-the-counter antihistamines plague around 25% of the Canadian population at the change of seasons.
What many don’t realize is that food sensitivities are interrelated with environmental allergies and our immune system in a multitude of ways. Let’s take a deep dive into the relationship between our diet/food sensitivities and our immune system:
An interesting relationship between foods and environmental allergens is through a phenomenon called “cross-reactivity”. Cross-reactivity occurs when someone experiences allergic/sensitivity symptoms towards foods due to their environmental allergies. This occurs due to the proteins on the surface of foods mimicking the proteins corresponding with common environmental allergens like trees, grasses, and pollen. Our body gets these particles confused because of their similarities, and then bolster an allergic response to foods that our body actually isn’t allergic to. These responses can look like tingling, itching, or numbness in and around the mouth; swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat; hives; and digestive symptoms such as gas, cramping, and diarrhea. If you have environmental allergies, and experience any of these symptoms, especially if they seem to worsen around allergy season, you may be suffering from food/allergen cross-reactivity. PMID: 33429724 Check out the graphic below to see which foods correspond with which environmental allergens:
Another main cause of food sensitivities is from poor gut health. Having inflammation in the gut, especially when combined with inadequate diversity of our gut biome (our good bacteria) can lead to intestinal permeability causing the development of what is called “leaky gut syndrome”. Leaky gut syndrome is a condition in which the integrity of our gut lining is compromised. This can allow small food particles to pass through into our bloodstream, which leads to our immune system sensing them and developing a response to them as if they are a foreign substance like a bacteria or virus. Our body is smart, and when things are in our blood that aren’t supposed to be there, the immune system will send all kinds of its soldiers to investigate and try to eradicate these pesky particles. The downfall to this system is that our body can’t differentiate tiny food particles from harmful pathogens like bacteria or viruses, so the inflammation caused by our immune system in an attempt to kill off these foreign bodies ends up doing more harm than good. Systemic inflammation can occur and become chronic if the gut lining remains permeable, and with enough repeated exposures over time, our immune system can develop sensitivities to these food particles that continue to get passed into the blood. PMID: 33968085
Another way our immune system can impact food sensitivities is through histamine release. One of the immune system’s soldiers mentioned above include mast cells, and mast cells are responsible for the release of histamine which produces allergic responses. Histamine is also developed in the food we eat based on different cooking and storage methods, but typically in a low concentration. In up to 17% of people however, there can be dysfunction in the stabilization of their mast cells and/or in their sensitivity to the histamines in their body and environment. This means that their body may be releasing too much histamine or releasing it at inappropriate times, as well as overreacting to the small amounts of histamine in the environment. In these cases, there are special diets that can be followed to limit the amount of histamine eaten. Food intake has to be carefully monitored, and specific food preparation and storage techniques must be followed. Fortunately, there are many ways we can support the stability of our mast cells and immune system overall, which improve these conditions. Naturopathic doctors are trained in managing special dietary restrictions such as this, as well as supporting the immune system. PMID: 33921522 PMID: 33261124
Did you know Naturopathic Doctors provide both environmental allergy and food sensitivity testing? Dr. Ceilidh enjoys treating allergies and food sensitivities through diet and lifestyle, along with immune system-supporting supplements and herbs.
If you or someone you know is struggling with food sensitivities and/or seasonal allergies, book an appointment with Dr. Ceilidh to get to the root cause and help you feel allergy-free all year round!