Peanut allergies drive me NUTS!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Severe peanut allergies can trigger anaphylaxis, a fast, life-threatening reaction. Luckily, the Epipen can calm reactions. But what if our bodies could fight these allergies… naturally?
Enter Elisa Sanchez-Martinez and team from the Autonomous University of Madrid. They sampled digestive bacteria from eighteen healthy volunteers.
And? They were able to identify and isolate two bacteria that degrade the most common peanut allergens; Rothia and Staphylococcus.
When introduced to mice, both bacteria lowered peanut allergen amounts in blood. Less allergen, smaller trigger, no anaphylaxis!
Who knew? The key to calming peanut allergies might just come down to trusting your gut.
Reference: Sánchez-Martínez, E., Rondeau, L. E., Garrido-Romero, M., da Luz, B. B., Haas, D. A., Yuen, G., Coppens, D., Hall, P., Dang, R., Wang, X.-Y., Moreno-Serna, L., López-Sanz, C., Nuñez-Borque, E., Garrido-Arandia, M., Diaz-Perales, A., Carrasco, Y. R., Koenig, J. F. E., Walker, T. D., Jordana, M., & Verdu, E. F. (2026). Microbial metabolism of food allergens determines the severity of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis. Cell Host & Microbe. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2026.02.013