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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

New Atlas [newatlas.com]:

A study by a team of scientists from Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital suggests food allergies can be triggered in infants by a lack of certain gut bacteria. As well as identifying which bacteria in human subjects are key to protecting against the onset of food allergies, a subsequent mouse study revealed a specific probiotic cocktail can reverse pre-established allergies.
...
Homing in on a specific handful of gut bacteria that were in lower abundance in those infants suffering from food allergies, a subsequent mouse study affirmed the allergic association. Mice sensitized to an egg allergen were found to be protected from allergic reactions when administered the specific cocktail of six bacterial species identified by the researchers.

Even more interesting was the finding that these specific bacterial cocktails completely suppressed allergic reactions in mice already sensitized to an allergen. This discovery implies that not only can allergies be prevented from developing in the first place, but a pre-existing allergic response can be reversed after it has already developed.

New hope for sufferers of food allergies?

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