Allergies are a growing health problem in the United States. According to the Allergy & Asthma Network, about 1 in 5 Americans suffer from environmental allergies, causing them to miss a total of 4 million workdays per year. In financial terms, this is costing the economy $8 billion a year.1
Fortunately, research is currently offering hope for people suffering from allergies. Flavonoids in whole foods, especially kaempferol, provide natural relief from allergies without relying on anti-allergy medications.
Kaempferol provides anti-allergic effects
In a short letter published in Allergy, researchers from Tokyo University of Science discussed the benefits of kaempferol. In particular, this flavonoid has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties that help promote the expression of RALDH2, an enzyme produced in the intestines. For those of you unfamiliar with this process, here’s a summary:2
“In the gut, special dendritic cells (DCs) produce an enzyme called retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RALDH2), which converts retinal, a chemical derived from vitamin A, into retinoic acid. This retinoic acid promotes the development of regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell that can suppress the immune response observed in allergies.”
Based on this framework, RALDH2 has a role in allergy, and again kaempferol has been observed to have beneficial effects. In the study, the team screened 40 different flavonoids and found kaempferol to be the most effective.3
To create a testing environment, we used an animal allergy model using ovalbumin (OVA), a protein found in egg whites. Subsequent administration of kaempferol yielded notable results. Dr. Chiharu Nishiyama, one of the study authors, said:4
“The rapid decrease in body temperature and allergic diarrhea observed after OVA administration were significantly suppressed in mice administered kaempferol.”
Kaempferol is abundant in leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and cabbage. According to a study published in Molecules,5 Broccoli has the highest concentration, while blueberries and onions are also good choices.
Keep a list of allergy triggers
While discussing food, it’s important to be aware of any food allergies you have, and the best way to narrow down your list is to do an elimination diet. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine,6 The goal of food elimination is to figure out which foods cause allergies and then eat those foods in smaller amounts whenever possible. To help you get started, nutritionist Barbie Cervoni recommends the following strategies:7
“In most cases, you’ll start slowly by eating foods high in histamine and recording your symptoms. If you notice improvement in your symptoms after eliminating trigger foods, you can try temporarily omitting those foods and adding them back into your diet. “The speed with which foods are removed and reintroduced, within about a month, will depend on your tolerance and symptoms.”
After discovering that you are allergic to a food, it is important to reintroduce the food slowly. Because leaving food out can lead to malnutrition. This is something you don’t want to happen. So when doing an elimination diet, don’t stick to just one type. This is because you will severely limit your nutritional intake to a narrow list. A brief overview of interim dietary recommendations follows:8
- Foods to eat — Grass-fed beef, raw milk and butter, free-range eggs, most fruits and vegetables, and vinegar.
- Foods to avoid — Processed beverages, meat and seafood, fish such as sardines, anchovies, and tuna, shellfish, eggplant vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants, certain fruits such as papaya, strawberries, kiwi, and pears, and fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut.
Again, eliminating allergenic foods is unrealistic in the long term. As you can see from the list above, several foods, such as fermented vegetables, make important contributions to optimal health.9 Adding more fresh, natural foods will also help during the interim period. In a 2020 study published in Nutrients, researchers noted that test participants with mild asthma had better relief from their symptoms when they consumed a low-histamine Mediterranean diet for four weeks.
In addition to this approach, you can also build resistance over time by slowly reintroducing the allergenic food since your body does not continuously produce histamine.
According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition,10 Test participants who continued to eat their traditional diet experienced more skin allergy symptoms. However, another group of subjects who started eating a low-histamine diet before switching to a traditional diet did not see an increase in headaches or other allergy symptoms.
Vitamin C Helps Fight Allergies
Vitamin C, popularly known as ascorbic acid, is considered for its antioxidant properties and role in supporting important biological functions such as tissue growth and repair, collagen synthesis, iron absorption, and immune function.11 Plus, did you know that it can help manage seasonal allergy symptoms?
According to one study12 Vitamin C has antihistamine properties, and a daily dose of 300 to 500 mg “enhances histamine breakdown and inhibits mast cell degranulation,” according to a publication in Nutrients. In another study13 Laboratory animals with bronchoconstriction experienced symptom relief when given vitamin C.
Other studies have described the mechanisms behind the anti-allergic effects of vitamin C. Specifically, this antioxidant removes the imidazole ring, the chemical component of histamine.14 Additional research showed that taking 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily for two weeks reduced plasma histamine levels in vivo by 40%.15
Now that you know the benefits of vitamin C in allergy management, what is the best dietary source? Whole foods are still preferred and there is a wide variety of foods to choose from. These include red bell peppers, parsley, broccoli, kiwi, strawberries, guava, tomatoes and all citrus fruits. You can get significant amounts of vitamin C through your diet by consuming these foods daily, along with other bioactive compounds that support your health.
We also recommend keeping liposomal vitamin C supplements in your medicine cabinet, especially if you develop an acute viral illness. If you are very sick, take 4 grams every hour until you feel better, then slowly reduce the dose over a few days until your symptoms improve.
Add curcumin for anti-allergy benefits
Turmeric is a root crop belonging to the ginger family. It is a beloved spice that forms the basis of many dishes. Moreover, turmeric has medicinal properties. In ancient methods such as Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, turmeric has been used to treat a variety of diseases thanks to its main bioactive compound, curcumin.16
Thanks to modern technology, researchers have discovered what makes curcumin such a useful tool in natural healing. As it turns out, it has a variety of anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antitumor and antioxidant properties. It also contains antihistamine properties, which have been proven in research.17 Published in the International Journal of Medical Research.
Here, researchers recorded one participant, a 24-year-old male with a history of severe wheezing. He was eventually diagnosed with hay fever, a condition that causes sneezing and stuffy nose whenever the body inhales allergens.18 To manage his condition, he was taking various anti-allergy medications.
The research team administered 500mg of curcumin to the subjects twice a day for two months. The dosage was then lowered to once daily for 2 months. Once the test was completed, the man’s symptoms improved to the point where his dependence on oral steroids was significantly reduced. But he continued using inhalants.
Consider adding quercetin to the equation
In the video above,19 Dr. Jinseong explains the role of quercetin in helping relieve seasonal allergies. Based on his findings, he believes that quercetin has the greatest anti-allergic activity compared to other flavonoids. It works by regulating histamine release, especially from basophils and mast cells. This process was also documented in a study published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.20
Regarding dosage, Dr. Sung recommends taking 500 to 1,000 mg of quercetin two to four times daily during allergy season to help manage symptoms. Start with the lowest dose (500 mg, twice daily) and gradually increase if necessary.21 This is because quercetin has a half-life of 3.5 to 7.5 hours, so it is best to take it in divided doses.
To improve results, it is recommended to take other supplements to create a synergistic effect. These include stinging nettle, coltsfoot extract, mangosteen extract, ginger, vitamin C, and vitamin D.22
Like vitamin C and kaempferol, quercetin is found in many whole foods. These include citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, apples, onions, green tea, red grapes, dark cherries, and berries such as blueberries and cranberries. For these examples, the highest amounts are found in apples, especially their skins, as well as onions, broccoli, cherries, strawberries, and green tea.23
If you’re looking for a concentrated source of quercetin, look no further than onion skins. Onion skin contains 77 times more quercetin than the flesh.24 But if you don’t like eating onion skins, try making soup made from onion skins instead.
