The Relationship Between an Immune System Protein & Allergies (IL13)

Allergy Immunotherapy

Allergy immunotherapy consists of administering a weakened allergen (such as pollen, dust mites, or dog dander) to help develop tolerance or desensitization to said allergen. This treatment can be oral (under-the-tongue allergy tablets) or injected (allergy shots) [R, R, R, R, R].

Bee sting therapy is recommended as the first-line treatment for the prevention of severe allergic reactions in people allergic to the venom of bees and other insects of the same order (Hymenoptera). This may be due to the ability of bee sting therapy to decrease Th2 activity [R, R, R].

Multiple trials attest to the effectiveness and safety of bee sting therapy. Unfortunately, the venom must be repeatedly administered at 3-month intervals to maintain its effects on the immune system [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

In a study of children with cow milk allergy, oral immunotherapy was found to desensitize approximately 70% of the allergic children. Desensitization was linked to decreases in IL-13 release, as well as decreases in IgE antibody levels. Moreover, oral immunotherapy eliminated any immune response differences originally observed between children with cow milk allergy and non-allergic children [R]. 

In a randomized controlled trial focused on children with peanut allergy, researchers found similar decreases in IL-13 levels after oral immunotherapy [R].

Allergy immunotherapy may improve allergies by decreasing IL-13 and IgE antibody levels. 

Allergen-Elimination Diets

Although any food can cause allergy, only a few foods account for the vast majority of these allergies. Milk and egg allergies are the most common in children, while peanuts, shellfish, wheat, and nut allergies are common in adults [R].

The only proven therapy for food allergies is the elimination of the allergen. If you’re allergic to certain foods, you know the importance of reading food labels and inquiring about what goes into restaurant-prepared meals [R].

Fortunately, tolerance develops to most offending foods over time. Some exceptions include peanuts, nuts, and seafood [R, R].

In one study, immune system cells obtained from children whose eczema worsened after consumption of milk and eggs were observed to release significant amounts of Th2 proteins. This suggests that eliminating certain foods from the diet may improve allergies by decreasing the release of Th2 proteins, including IL-13 [R, R]. 

Allergen-elimination diets may improve allergies by decreasing the release of IL-13 and other Th2 proteins. 

Probiotics

Probiotics are live strains of beneficial bacteria. 

Probiotics such as Lactobacillus (L.) paracasei, L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. casei, L. gasseri, Bifidobacterium (B.) longum, and B. animalis improved hay fever in multiple trials. Moreover, L. rhamnosus, L. johnsonii, and Clostridium (C.) butyricum enhanced the effectiveness of immune system therapy (immunotherapy) for pollen and dust mite allergies [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

In people with asthma, L. salivarius and B. breve reduced the production of inflammatory proteins, while C. butyricum combined with immunotherapy helped improve asthma symptoms [R, R].

Preliminary research in adults and children with an allergy to cow milk suggests that the potential for L. rhamnosus to modulate immune system activity may help prevent allergic reactions. This probiotic also enhanced the effectiveness of immunotherapy for peanut allergy [R, R, R].

Other probiotics may help by fermenting the food proteins that cause allergies. For instance, L. helveticus, L. delbrueckii, and L. fermentum successfully reduced the allergenic potential of cow milk and propolis in several studies [R, R, R, R].

In people with eczema, supplementation with different probiotic strains, such as L. rhamnosus, L.reuteri, L. plantarum, L. paracasei, L. fermentum, and L. sakei, slightly improved skin inflammation [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Bifidobacterium species, such as B. animalis, B. breve, and B. longum, have been mainly tested in combination with Lactobacillus strains. These studies produced mixed results, possibly due to differences in the strains used [R, R, R, R, R, R].

Supplementation (in mothers before birth, or in their children after birth) with combinations of some of these Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains in families with a history of allergies significantly lowered the incidence of eczema in children [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

In a randomized controlled trial focused on children with asthma and hay fever, 8-week daily supplementation of L. gasseri was found to significantly reduce IL-13 production [R].

Probiotics may improve allergies by reducing IL-13 production.