Benefits Of Probiotics Consumption In Adults With Allergic Rhinitis: A Meta-analysis

BENEFITS OF PROBIOTICS CONSUMPTION IN ADULTS WITH ALLERGIC RHINITIS: A META-ANALYSIS by Bochuan Xie Background: About 1 in every 6 Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, aka allergic rhinitis (AR), every year. Typical symptoms of AR include sneezing, stuffy nose and watery eyes. Currently, two types of medications, anti-histamines and corticosteroids, are widely used for relieving AR symptoms; however, in addition to the concern about drug resistance after their long-term use, they also cause side effects such as dry mouth and dizziness. Introduction: AR results from an abnormally heightened immune response triggered by unharmful substances in the environment. Therefore, a therapy capable of regulating the overall immune function of the body should alleviate the discomfort caused by AR. The intestine is the largest immune organ of the body. And consumption of probiotics can induce positive changes in the composition of the microbiota that reside in the intestine within a short period of time. As a result, several trials have been conducted to investigate the therapeutic effects of probiotics on AR. However, because of the generally small sample size of these studies, it is difficult to reach a definite conclusion. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess if probiotics consumption leads to improvement of AR symptoms. Method: