Summer Allergy Season

It is the season to get sun burnt, checkout the scantily clad men and women, eat meat off the BBQ and essentially have fun. For some though this time of year is misery. Lately a few of my friends have been suffering with hay fever and some for the very first time.

Is it a real problem?

Hay fever sufferers have increased from 10-12% of the UK population in 1965 to 15-25% in 2003. (1) From the 1970's to the 1990's the diagnosis of hay fever in children has tripled! During 1994-1996 Great Britain compared internationally higher in the amount of children aged 12-14 suffering from either eczema, asthma and hay fever.(2) In 2006 The Independent published an article describing hay fever as a UK epidemic. (3) A 2003 report from The Royal College of Physicians details the devastating extent at which allergies are affecting the British public and the urgent need for improvements in healthcare to cope. It is estimated that the healthcare for allergies, excluding hospital care, costs the NHS (National Health Service) 900 million GBP per annum. (4) America and Australasia are in similar circumstances with 40% of U.S children and 30% of U.S adults suffering from allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and a staggering 35% of the population suffering in Australasia. (24)

Hay fever is a real international problem!

What is hay fever?

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen in the air.

What is an allergic reaction?

An allergic reaction is an idiosyncratic immune system response to an otherwise harmless material resulting in an increase in antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) and histamine production.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

Hay fever symptoms are:

• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Itchy bloodshot eyes
• Stuffed up nose
• Itching around the face and mouth
• Exhaustion
• Blocked sensation in ears
• Headache
• Wheezing
• Burning in the throat

What are the causes of hay fever?

This is actually the most interesting because if you know the etiology, you're half way to the prescription.

To really get to the root cause of hay fever we have to ask the question "what causes allergies in general"?

Allergies are caused by harmless materials that should not cause any adverse physical reactions. It is the hypersensitivity displayed by some that constitutes an allergy. It is not the stimulus per se but the individual in question. Some people are genetically predisposed to hypersensitive reactions to certain substances such as soy, grain, nuts and pollen.

The hypersensitivity to a material, pollen in the case of hay fever, is a genetic pre-disposition. A process known as gene expression involves individual genes "switching on or off" in direct relation to their present surrounding environment (biological, physical).

An "allergy gene" has been put forward as the culprit of the hypersensitive reaction expressed by some. A 2008 study led by Dr. Stephan Weidinger from the Technische Universität München and Dr. Thomas Illig from the Helmholtz Zentrum München found that certain variations of the FCER1A gene decisively influence the production of IgE which then leads inevitably to histamine production. (5)

What can I do?

The next best step from remodelling your genetic code would be the regulation of gene expression through environmental influences.

The environment a gene is present in greatly influences its expression. For instance, men and women both possess the baldness allele (allele: variants of a particular gene i.e. the gene for eye colour may have a green eye colour allele or blue eye colour allele) but it is the increased presence of dihydrotestosterone in men that enables the gene to really express itself. This is why we have male pattern baldness and not female. (6) You see, just because you have the gene does not mean its expression is an inevitability. By influencing the biological environment we can greatly influence the intensity of gene expression.

Biological environment is the actual biochemical state of the body and this greatly affects gene expression and this can be influenced by nutrition.

Nutrition:

I believe allergies exasperate each other. For instance, you may have a small unnoticeable allergy to dairy but when grains are consumed as well as dairy the allergy symptoms become more noticeable. Each allergy builds upon the other. For hay fever sufferer's, pollen may be "the straw that broke the camel's back".

The most allergy-provoking foods are: (7)

• Cow's milk
• Eggs
• Yeast
• Nuts
• Grains
• White fish
• Beans
• Shell fish

It would be wise to avoid allergy-provoking foods. I would completely eliminate grains and dairy, soak nuts and beans in mineral water for 12-24 hours before consuming so as to minimise anti-nutrient activity (the phytates and lectins in nuts and beans cost more than they give nutritionally), eat fish sparingly and consume whole, 100% organic eggs only.

Side note: To the "egg white omelette people", consuming eggs without the yolk may build intolerance to eggs, as the egg proteins are absorbed to fast without the yolk.

It is pertinent to note that obesity is linked to allergies and other inflammatory breathing issues and that food allergies are linked to obesity and that both are linked to grains and dairy. (8)(9)(10)(11) It is why I advocate the complete elimination of grains and dairy. Sugar should be eliminated to, as it lowers immunity adding further stress to an all ready stressed system and in his book "The Fungus Link", Doug A. Kaufman connects allergies with fungus and fungus feed off yeast and sugar . (12)(13) Eating grains, dairy and sugar is like rocket fuel for allergic reactions and can cause a cascade of other physical, mental and emotional ailments.

Foods that help:

Berries contain quercetin and vitamin C which may lower histamine levels and decrease hay fever symptoms. (14, 18)

High vitamin C foods would be of benefit - peppers, watercress, broccoli, melon, grapefruit and oranges are good sources of vitamin C.

Supplementation

Fish oils: Fish oils help lower inflammation, help with breathing difficulties and lowers histamine output. (15, 16, 17) I would recommend taking a minimum of 6g of fish oils spread throughout the day. Buy pharmaceutical grade fish oil as these have less contaminants in them.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C lowers histamine levels, detoxifies environmental pollutants and strengthens the immune system. (18, 19, 20) I would recommend up to 1000mg spread throughout the day.

Friendly Bacteria:

Friendly bacteria may help prevent atopic (hypersensitivity) conditions, improve immune system function and decrease hay fever symptoms. (21, 22, 23) Take on an empty stomach with some fruit or glutamine.

To summarise:

Avoid eating grains (rye, barley, wheat, rice, pasta, noodles), sugar, soy, dairy and other allergy-provoking foods, eat berries and foods rich in vitamin C, supplement with pharmaceutical grade fish oils, vitamin C and friendly bacteria.

Try out the recommendations for yourself and see if they help in any way.

Please let us know if any of the recommendations mentioned in the article helped or indeed please feel free to add any of your own helpful hints.

I truly hope that hay fever does not interfere with your summer.

Health and Happiness,

Michael Hannon Personal Trainer

For recommended reading on health and fitness topics and a list of books referenced please click here

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• Allergies
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References:

(1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2721375.stm

(2) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=722

(3) http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/why- global-warming-is-to-blame-for-britains-hay- fever-epidemic-477952.html

(4) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10277.php

(5) http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info% 3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1000166

(6) http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/ Environmental-Influences-on-Gene-Expression-536

(7) Optimum Nutrition Bible, Patrick Holford, page 297

(8) http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/may2009/20090512allergy.htm

(9) http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(08)01173-1/abstract

(10) http://www.jonnybowden.com/2009/04/are-hidden- food-allergies-making-you.html

(11) http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/138/2/358#FN1

(12) http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/11/ 1180?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1 =sanchez%2C+a&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX= 0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

(13) The Fungus Link, Doug A. Kaufmann, page 175

(14) Optimum Nutrition Bible, Patrick Holford, page 152

(15) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11153584? ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed. Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

(16) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 19054597?log$=activity

(17) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12480795? ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed. Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_ DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

(18) http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/121/1/126

(19) http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/2/166

(20) http://www.iaacn.org/IAACN%20Insight%20 Newsletter%202005.pdf

(21) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11297958? ordinalpos=1&itool= EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel. Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_ RA&linkpos=3&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

(22) http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/7/1597

(23) http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120123650/ abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

(24) http://www.aaaai.org/media/statistics/allergy-statistics.asp

© Michael Hannon, 2009 The information in this article is strictly for educational purposes. In no way is the information to treat, diagnose, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease. Before starting any diet, exercise regime or other nutritional supplement program always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified, licensed healthcare professional.

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