beta-carotene and Food-Hypersensitivity

Eczema is a frequent childhood manifestation and a few atopic children are allergic to certain foods or aeroallergens. Anxious parents of atopic children often have a fear of topical steroid-related side-effects, and some may try a range of elimination diets to avoid allergies. Elimination diets increase the risk of anaphylaxis on re-exposure to previously tolerated foods from the loss of oral tolerance. Unbalanced diets together with an inadvertent excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables may lead to carotenemia from the carotenoids in the plant foods. Carotenemia is benign but unusual diets and the consumption of preformed vitamin A in health supplements can lead to vitamin A toxicity. We discuss a child with eczema on an exclusion diet presenting with anaphylaxis to dairy food. He had carotenemia with hepatomegaly, which resolved on dietary management.

Topics: beta Carotene; Child, Preschool; Dermatitis, Atopic; Food Hypersensitivity; Hepatomegaly; Humans; Male

Antioxidant intakes in pregnancy may influence fetal immune programming and the risk of allergic disease. We investigated associations between maternal intakes of β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, copper and zinc, and infant allergic outcomes. Antioxidant intakes of pregnant women (n = 420) assessed prospectively by a food frequency questionnaire, were examined in relation to allergic outcomes at 1 year of age (n = 300). The main relationships with allergic outcomes were seen with dietary vitamin C and copper. Specifically, higher maternal dietary vitamin C intake was associated with a reduced risk of any diagnosed infant allergic disease and wheeze. After adjustment for potential confounders the relationship with wheeze remained statistically significant. There was also an inverse linear relationship between vitamin C and food allergy. Higher dietary copper intake was associated with reduced risk of eczema, wheeze and any allergic disease. The relationship with wheeze and any allergic disease remained statistically significant in multivariate analysis, and there was also an inverse linear relationship between copper and food allergy. However, these relationships were only seen for nutrients present in food. There were no relationships between β-carotene, vitamin E or zinc and any allergic outcomes. In summary, this study suggests that maternal diet of fresh foods rich in vitamin C is associated with reduced risk of infant wheeze, and that copper intake is associated with reduced risk of several allergic outcomes.

Topics: Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Copper; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Eczema; Female; Fish Oils; Food Hypersensitivity; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immunoglobulin E; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Prospective Studies; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Vitamin E

β-Carotene is a dietary source of vitamin A, and its physiological functions, such as anti-inflammatory activity, immune regulation, and improvement of intestinal flora, are attracting increasing attention. Recent studies have shown that the development of food allergy is closely related to intestinal dysfunction. Therefore, the present study investigated the potential anti-food allergy activity of β-carotene and its regulatory intestinal homeostasis pathway. The results obtained using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced food allergy mouse model indicated that the clinical allergic symptoms were alleviated, and the levels of anaphylactic mediators (such as immunoglobulin (Ig) E, IgG, and histamine) were reduced after β-carotene supplementation at 5.00 mg per kg per day. In addition, the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins (claudin-1, occludin, and ZO-1) increased by 38.58%, 24.39%, and 26.23%, respectively. Additionally, the secretion of secretory IgA (sIgA) and the regeneration of islet-derived protein (Reg) IIIγ were promoted in the intestinal mucous after β-carotene administration. Furthermore, the alpha and beta diversity analysis showed that the composition and diversity of the intestinal flora in the β-carotene group tended to be normalized compared to the model group. Higher levels of beneficial bacteria, such as

Topics: Animals; beta Carotene; Food Hypersensitivity; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Immunoglobulin E; Intestinal Mucosa; Mice; Ovalbumin; Tight Junction Proteins

Herbal or supplemental medicines often are considered alternatives to traditional antiretroviral therapy, but they can actually enhance the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Before beginning treatment with these alternative therapies, one should make sure their gut is functioning well and identify any possible food allergies. For example, the use of amino acid supplement L-glutamine is helpful in healing the gut. In addition, the use of beta carotene and hyperthermia, natural methods for increasing CD4 counts, are described.

Topics: Anti-HIV Agents; beta Carotene; Dietary Supplements; Drug Therapy, Combination; Food Hypersensitivity; Glutamine; HIV Infections; Holistic Health; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Phytotherapy; Plants, Medicinal; Silybum marianum; Vitamins

Three hundred and twenty-three individuals with self-reported food allergy were recruited by media advertisements. Questionnaire information was collected on all respondents. Chocolate (57%), milk (47%), wheat (36%) and food additives (35%) were the most frequently implicated foods. The most frequently reported symptoms were itching (43%), skin rash (43%) and tiredness (43%). Food avoidance was the most common form of food allergy diagnosis (33%) with only 8% of respondents reporting food challenge in food allergy diagnosis. Self-diagnosis was reported by 34% of respondents with 29% and 24% reporting diagnosis by a general practitioner or a homeopath, respectively. Twenty-four per cent of respondents 'always' avoided and a further 57% 'nearly always' avoided the implicated food(s). A group of 38 adults with self-reported 'milk allergy' was selected for further study. Dietary assessments, using the dietary history method, were carried out on this subgroup and on age-, sex- and occupation-matched controls. The results of the dietary assessments revealed that the 'milk allergy' group had significantly higher intakes of fibre, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron and folic acid (P < 0.05) and significantly lower intakes of calcium (P < 0.002) in comparison to controls. Eighteen per cent of the group used milk alternatives. Thirty-four per cent of the 'milk allergy' group took calcium-containing supplements. Even after calcium supplementation, the mean calcium intake of those who completely avoided milk was unacceptably low (441 mg/d).

Topics: Adult; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Cacao; Calcium, Dietary; Carotenoids; Case-Control Studies; Diet Surveys; Dietary Fiber; Female; Folic Acid; Food Additives; Food Hypersensitivity; Humans; Ireland; Iron; Male; Matched-Pair Analysis; Middle Aged; Milk Hypersensitivity; Triticum; Vitamin E