Prevent Exposure to Toxins
Toxins are substances or organisms that negatively affect health. They can disrupt biological processes and cause disease.
Exposure to environmental toxins (such as pesticides, solvents, and air pollutants) is associated with an increased prevalence of allergies.
Toxins increase the prevalence of allergies by: (6, 17, 19, 116)
- Disturbing the microbiome
- Disrupting immunological barriers
- Acting as an adjuvant to promote sensitization to allergens
- Shifting immune profile to pro-allergic
- Disrupting the immune system's ability to induce tolerance
Disturbing the microbiome
Toxins disturb microbial communities through oxidative stress and inflammation, negatively impacting microbiome diversity and human health. In addition, toxins ingested with food can trigger and accelerate the development of gastrointestinal and allergic diseases by altering the gut microbiome and immune functions.
Disrupting immunological barriers
Toxins can induce inflammation and disrupt epithelial barriers, allowing allergens to bypass and be picked up as intruders by the immune system. This process leads to sensitization and the development of allergies.
Acting as an adjuvant
Adjuvants are substances that promote pro-allergic immune responses. Toxins act as adjuvants because they induce oxidative stress and activation of immune cells, so when coexposed with allergens, the body favors a pro-allergic immune response that leads to sensitization.
Additionally, toxins can chemically modify allergens to enhance their allergic potential and further promote sensitization.
Shifting Immune Profile
The body has two main defense profiles: the Th1 and Th2 immune responses. Th1 is geared towards killing viruses and bacteria, while Th2 is geared towards parasites and toxins.
Exposure to toxins shifts the body to an allergic profile by polarizing the response via suppression of Th1 and augmentation of Th2 immune responses.
People living in urban areas and near roads with high exhaust-producing traffic have the highest exposure to environmental toxins. This population is strongly linked to enhanced Th2 responses and allergic diseases.
Disrupting tolerance induction
Key elements that power tolerance induction are a healthy microbiome, healthy barriers, and exposure to allergens.
Toxins work against these critical elements by lowering microbiome diversity, disrupting barriers, and chemically modifying allergen protein structure, preventing the immune system from developing tolerance to allergens.