People with Food Allergies Have Lower Risk of Coronavirus

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that people with food allergies had a 50% lower risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19, compared to people without food allergies.

The Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 (HEROS) study monitored the health of 4,000 people in 1,400 households between May 2020 and February 2021. During this time, a COVID vaccine is not available or widely available to the public, the NIH said.

During the study period, each household had at least one person aged 21 or older. Every family has someone who takes a nasal swab every two weeks to test for coronavirus.

Researchers aren't sure why people with food allergies have a lower risk of Covid-19. Research suggests that type 2 inflammation, usually caused by allergic reactions, may reduce levels of ACE2 receptors on the surface of airway cells. The ACE2 receptor is the entry point for COVID, and fewer receptors mean less chance of COVID invading the body.

Another possibility to consider is that people with food allergies eat out less frequently and are less likely to contract COVID, the study said. But the researchers found that people with food allergies had only slightly lower levels of community exposure than other households.

The HEROS study found that people with asthma and other allergic conditions, including eczema and allergic rhinitis, did not have a reduced or increased risk of contracting COVID. However, this study appears to confirm previous research that there is a link between obesity and COVID risk.