In March 2016, an article containing the World Allergy Organisation (WAO) guidelines for the prevention of allergic diseases was published in the World Allergy Organization Journal. Among other things, the article recommends the use of prebiotics, i.e. substances that influence the composition and activity of the intestinal microflora. It also emphasises the invariably indisputable benefits of breastfeeding, which significantly influences the formation of the child's normal gastrointestinal flora.
Allergy and genetics
It is well known that the occurrence of allergies is strongly linked to genetic predisposition. The risk of allergy is significantly increased in children whose parents suffer from allergies. The risk of developing allerg ies in children whose parents and siblings are healthy is 5-15%. When one parent has atopic symptoms, this increases to 20-40%, while when atopic symptoms are present in one sibling, the risk is 25-35%. The situation where both parents have an allergic disease is the most predisposing to allergies in a child, with a risk of 40-60%.
Itis not only genetics that has an important contribution to the pathogenesis of allergy. The development of allergic diseases is strongly influenced by environmental factors. The most important include prenatal and perinatal exposure to antibiotics, caesarean section births, artificial infant feeding and overly hygienic lifestyles associated with reduced exposure of the immune system to antigens in early childhood. Of course, genetics plays a huge part in the occurrence of atopy, i.e. an excessive reaction of the immune system to small doses of antigens, mainly leading to the production of excessive amounts of IgE class antibodies. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that we have certain tools that can influence the development of allergy and its course and severity in a specific way, unlike genetics, which is an innate component of every organism.
Allergy and the gastrointestinal microflora
The intestinal mic roflora is a collection of certain micro-organisms whose function is to protect against infection, participate in the digestion of nutrients and participate in the proper functioning of the immune system, whose cells are also found in the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. A disturbance in the composition of the microflora will therefore affect immune mechanisms such as the correct recognition of and response to antigens that the body will encounter. In addition to genetics, the environmental factors just mentioned play a huge role in the formation of a normal microflora in infants.
The most potent of these seems to be the method of feeding. Many studies on breastfeeding point to the benefits of this way of feeding infants in the first months of life. Breastfeeding is best suited to the needs of the young organism, contributes to the formation of a normal intestinal microbiota and also strengthens the child's immune system.
The mode of birth also contributes to the correct composition of the intestinal flora. It has been shown that during natural birth, the newborn, passing through the mother's birth canal, acquires micro-organisms that then populate the intestinal tract, forming its natural protective barrier. During a caesarean section delivery, the newborn does not have the opportunity to come into contact with the bacterial flora naturally present in the mother.
photo: panthermedia
Antibiotic therapy administered during pregnancy and in the perinatal period also contributes significantly to the mother's sterilisation. Many drugs are contraindicated in pregnancy - these include almost all antibiotics. Nevertheless, antibiotic therapy is necessary in certain clinical situations in pregnant women. In such cases, adequate protection of the digestive system should not be forgotten. An adequate diet with a supply of natural prebiotics and probiotics plays a major role.
Cigarette smoke can also be included as an important risk factor for allergies. It has been noted that children of mothers who smoke or are passive smokers have an increased risk of asthma.
Studies on the microflora have found differences in its composition between the atopic group and the healthy population. People with a genetic predisposition to allergy have an increased number of Clostridium bacteria and fewer Bifidobacteria. These studies have served to further search for a link between the composition of the gut microflora and the occurrence of atopy and subsequently allergy. The aim of this search is to be able to use prebiotics in people with atopy, thus reducing the risk of developing allergic diseases.
