Eating apples could alleviate birch pollen allergy symptoms

Eating fresh apples daily may significantly reduce allergic reactions in people with birch pollen food allergy syndrome — a condition that affects about 70% of those with birch pollen allergies. A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that a year-long regimen of gradually increasing doses of fresh apples helped patients build lasting tolerance to apples and other related foods.

The study, published as an uncontrolled phase II/III trial, involved 36 participants who consumed apples from a variety of cultivars, carefully selected for allergen levels. Over 12 months, patients experienced fewer symptoms, with notable improvements in both skin prick test results and oral allergy challenges. Blood tests showed a decrease in allergy-related IgE antibodies and a rise in protective IgG4 antibodies. Patients also showed improved tolerance to other foods cross-reactive with the birch pollen allergen Bet v 1.

This is the first study to offer a practical, food-based immunotherapy for this condition. Oral allergy-specific immunotherapy with fresh apples is a “promising treatment for birch pollen food allergy syndrome to apples and other Bet v 1 cross-reactive foods,” according to the study. 

Read more: JACI 

 

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