According to a study by Inserm and the Institut Curie, the absence in the diet of compounds found in certain vegetables, in particular broccoli and cabbage, can aggravate skin allergies in humans.
The benefits of a balanced diet are well established. But, scientists are even more precise. According to a new study by researchers from Inserm and the Institut Curie of the Immunity and Cancer laboratory, published this Tuesday in the review Elifenutrients found in broccoli and cabbage help reduce skin allergies in humans.
Until now, it had been established that the diet could vary the severity of these allergies, without pinpointing the contribution of certain nutrients.
The scientists therefore focused on food compounds that act on a molecule present in the body – the “aromatic hydrocarbon receptor” (AhR) – present in so-called cruciferous vegetables.
The risk of the “unbalanced diet”
To study the influence of AhR receptors on skin allergies, the researchers worked on mice. Some animals were fed a diet that did not contain these nutrients.
They thus showed that the absence of these nutrients is associated with “an increase in the state of inflammation in the skin and an aggravation of the skin allergy, which is not the case for mice having received a diet that contained these compounds,” Inserm said in a statement.
“Our results suggest that an unbalanced diet could increase allergic skin reactions in humans through mechanisms that we have precisely described,” said Elodie Segura, Inserm researcher who led the study at the Curie Institute.
She continued: “Simplified, one could say that our work helps to explain why eating vegetables like broccoli and cabbage can limit the severity of skin allergies and why it is therefore important to include them in one’s diet.”
The scientists also want to continue their research to determine if the results can be applied to other skin diseases, such as psoriasis.
