In the study published in the scientific journal “Une vie”, researchers from the “Inserm” and “Curie” institutes first showed that the lack of access to compounds present in certain plants, in particular in the broccoli and cabbage, caused more severe skin allergies in one group of animals.
It is known that skin sensitivity results from an inappropriate immune response to compounds present in the environment, and that its severity varies according to several factors, including diet.
The scientists focused their research on food compounds that affect a molecule in the body, the “aromatic hydrocarbon receptor” (AhR). These nutrients are usually found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli.
The researchers showed that the absence of these nutrients in mice is associated with increased skin inflammation and an exacerbation of its sensitivity, which was not observed in mice fed a diet containing these compounds.
How to explain what happens biologically when these food compounds are absent?
• The researchers observed, in the absence of these nutrients, an overproduction of the molecule “TGF-beta” or (transforming growth factor-beta) in the skin of mice. Langerhans” found exclusively in the skin, acting as a “modulator of cutaneous immune responses”.
• Scientists then discovered that compounds that activate aromatic hydrocarbon receptors also control the production of TGF-beta in human skin cells.
• “The results of the study indicate that an unbalanced diet can increase allergic skin reactions in humans”, explains Elodie Segura, researcher at “Inserm”, who led this study at the Institut Curie.
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