“Food allergy sufferers cut the risk of corona infection by half”
Allergic inflammation expected to lower ACE2 levels
People with food allergies have a 50% lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than the general population, a study found. Photos have nothing to do with the article. /Photo = Getty Images Bank
People with food allergies have only half the risk of contracting the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) than the general population, a study found.
On the 6th, a research team at the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, USA, said this is because people with food allergies have a decrease in the protein that the Corona 19 virus binds to.
From May 2020 to February 2021, the research team confirmed whether 4,142 participants in 1394 households were infected with COVID-19.
As a result of the survey, 261 people from 147 households tested positive for COVID-19, and half of the participants reported a food allergy, asthma, eczema or allergic rhinitis.
Participants with other allergies, such as eczema and asthma, were not more susceptible to the virus, but were not at a lower risk of infection either.
On the other hand, participants who reported a food allergy had an approximately 50% lower risk of contracting the coronavirus.
The research team estimated that inflammation caused by food allergy reduces the risk of infection by reducing the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
Corona 19 virus uses the spike protein on the surface of the virus to infiltrate the cell. At this time, the spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor protein and enters the cell and infects it.
As the expression of ACE2 receptor decreased, the risk of infection also decreased, the team explained.
Meanwhile, high body mass index (BMI) associated with obesity and overweight was also found to be related to COVID-19 infection.
The 320 overweight or obese participants were observed to have an approximately 41% higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
The results of this study were published in the international scientific journal ‘Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology’ on the 31st of last month.
Reporter Lee Bo-bae, Hankyung.com [email protected]
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