A preliminary study found that \u201cpoop pills\u201d \u2014 oral fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) \u2014 increased tolerance to peanuts in some adults with a peanut allergy.Researchers found similar results in mice, with a certain type of gut bacteria playing a key role.While the findings are promising for future trials, it\u2019s too soon to recommend FMT as a treatment for peanut allergy.<\/p>\n
A small clinical trial suggests that fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT), or \u201cpoop pills,\u201d may increase peanut tolerance in adults with peanut allergies.<\/p>\n
The research, published on August 5 in Science Translational Medicine<\/a>, investigated whether receiving a fecal transplant from a healthy donor could reduce the severity of peanut allergy.<\/p>\n Some participants found that their tolerance to peanuts increased. In an animal model, researchers found that mice receiving FMT from the human participants were also protected against the allergy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis landmark study was the first to demonstrate that a microbiome-based therapy may improve food allergy<\/a> in people while also revealing how gut bacteria<\/a>, their metabolites, and the immune system work together to influence treatment response,\u201d said study author Rima Rachid<\/a>, MD, in a news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among the study\u2019s 15 participants, 6 experienced increased tolerance to peanuts.<\/p>\n There were two stages to the human trial. In the first stage, 10 individuals received frozen FMT from donors with healthy gut microbiomes<\/a>. They took 36 pills in either 1 or 2 days. Four months later, 3 in 10 people experienced an increased tolerance to peanuts.<\/p>\n The second stage involved five participants who had taken antibiotics<\/a> before receiving FMT. The study found that 3 in 5 individuals had an increased peanut tolerance.<\/p>\n Among those who experienced increased tolerance, FMT increased the number of immune cells called ROR\u03b3t+ regulatory T cells, which help regulate the immune system.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first aim of the study was to evaluate for safety in the food allergic population, and none of the patients had serious adverse events,\u201d Rachid told Healthline.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the secondary aims of the study was to evaluate if FMT could increase the threshold dose that patients react to, given the promising data we found in mice. It was very encouraging to see that some patients tolerate more peanut protein following a single dose of FMT,\u201d Rachid said.<\/p>\n