A study has found a high-fibre diet comprising a bowl bran and dried fruit every morning may help protect against allergies.
According to findings of the Monash University-led study published in the medical journal Cell Reports, mice that were allergic to peanuts were protected when fed a diet that was high in fibre.
Eating a high fibre diet changes bacteria in the gut, which in turn enables the immune system to better resist allergies by breaking down of fibre in short-chain fatty acids, according to the researchers.
The incidence of potentially lethal food allergies are on the rise, with almost three per cent of children now allergic to peanuts, and the research points to a lack of dietary fibre as a potential cause.
The finding could also pave the way for new drug therapy for food allergy sufferers, the researchers said.
The next step will be trials on humans to test the impact of a high-fibre diet on allergies.
