Department of Paediatrics, Functional Foods Forum, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
J Nutr. 2010 Mar;140(3):713S-21S. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.113761. Epub 2010 Feb 3.
Allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction mediated by specific antibody-mediated or cell-mediated immunologic mechanisms and clinically manifested as atopic eczema, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, or asthma. During the recent decades there has been an increase in allergy prevalence, which is attributed to changes in environmental factors. The so-called "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that a lack of exposure to microbial stimulus early in childhood is a major factor involved in this trend. This provides a rationale for using probiotics to modify the gut microbiota and thereby shaping the immune response of the host, especially in infancy. Most success has been obtained in primary prevention of atopic eczema. A limited number of studies also provided evidence for a beneficial effect of different probiotics in the management of allergic diseases (atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis). However, choice of probiotic strains as well as timing of the intervention are important variables. The exact in vivo mechanism of probiotics in shaping the immune response still needs to be determined. Future studies should use uniform criteria for diagnosis and symptom scoring of atopic diseases and may identify the genes predisposing to allergic disease. There is encouraging evidence that specific probiotics can become valuable tools in the prevention and management of allergic diseases.
过敏是一种由特异性抗体介导或细胞介导的免疫机制引起的超敏反应，临床上表现为特应性皮炎、过敏性鼻结膜炎或哮喘。在最近几十年中，过敏的患病率有所增加，这归因于环境因素的变化。所谓的“卫生假说”表明，儿童早期缺乏接触微生物刺激是导致这种趋势的一个主要因素。这为使用益生菌来改变肠道微生物群，从而塑造宿主的免疫反应提供了依据，特别是在婴儿期。在特应性皮炎的一级预防中取得了最大的成功。少数研究也为不同益生菌在管理过敏性疾病（特应性皮炎、过敏性鼻炎）方面的有益作用提供了证据。然而，益生菌菌株的选择以及干预的时间是重要的变量。益生菌在塑造免疫反应方面的确切体内机制仍有待确定。未来的研究应该使用统一的标准来诊断和评分特应性疾病的症状，并可能确定导致过敏疾病的易感基因。有令人鼓舞的证据表明，特定的益生菌可以成为预防和管理过敏性疾病的有价值的工具。
