The Path from Pollutants in Food to A Heightened Allergic Response
Published:30 Nov.2021 Source:Ohio State University
Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response.
Researchers traced this link in mice to gut bacteria that, after exposure to ingested cadmium, over-produced an enzyme that degrades vitamin D -- effectively creating conditions that mimic vitamin D deficiency. In terms of clinical effects, the mice sensitized to a specific allergen that consumed cadmium produced high levels of antibodies against the allergen as well as immune cells that increased their respiratory symptoms.