Allergy management through diet: immunonutrition, bioactive compounds, and therapeutic innovation in allergic diseases

The global burden of allergic disease has reached epidemic proportions. Atopic dermatitis affects up to 20% of children; food allergy now affects 8% of children and 10% of adults in high-income countries; and allergic asthma and rhinitis together represent the most prevalent chronic inflammatory conditions worldwide. As incidence continues to climb, attention has turned toward modifiable environmental factors, and diet sits at the intersection of the most compelling leads: gut microbiome composition, mucosal immune calibration, and the anti-inflammatory bioactivity of specific food compounds.Within the vast repertoire of plant and animal foods are hundreds of bioactive components, omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamins D and A, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) precursors, and probiotic organisms, that do not merely nourish but actively instruct the immune system. These compounds modulate dendritic cell maturation, regulatory T-cell induction, IgE class switching, mast cell degranulation, and epithelial barrier integrity. Crucially, many of their effects are mediated through the gut microbiome: dietary fibre and fermented foods reshape microbial diversity and SCFA production, which in turn calibrate the gut–immune axis that underpins systemic atopic susceptibility. The interaction between what we eat, who lives in our gut, and how our immune system responds to allergens is now recognised as one of the most tractable intervention targets in allergy medicine.This Research Topic brings together mechanistic, translational, and clinical research exploring how nutrition, bioactive food compounds, and microbiome-targeted interventions influence allergic disease development, immune tolerance, and responses to allergen immunotherapy (AIT). Growing evidence suggests that probiotics, prebiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, trace elements, and other immunomodulatory compounds shape the immune pathways involved in allergic sensitization, epithelial barrier integrity, and inflammatory responses, and may also contribute to the efficacy, safety, and long-term outcomes of AIT across oral, sublingual, and subcutaneous modalities. Particular interest will be given to adjunctive nutritional approaches in AIT, the role of bioactive compounds in immune tolerance induction, and dietary interventions relevant to food allergy, respiratory allergy, and atopic dermatitis across the life course.We welcome submissions covering topics including, but not limited to:- Dietary modulation of immune tolerance and allergic sensitization- Gut microbiome interactions with allergen immunotherapy outcomes- Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fermented foods as adjuncts to AIT- Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds in allergy prevention and immunomodulation- Nutritional approaches in food oral immunotherapy and other AIT modalities- Early-life nutrition, complementary feeding, and the prevention of allergic disease- Diet-related mechanisms influencing the gut-lung and gut-skin axes- Clinical and translational evidence evaluating dietary interventions in allergic disease management and immunotherapy- Mechanistic studies on epithelial barriers, mast cells, regulatory T cells, IgE regulation, and inflammatory pathways affected by nutrition and immunotherapyWe welcome original research articles, reviews, systematic reviews, perspectives, opinions, and FAIR² Data Articles that advance our understanding of how nutritional and immunomodulatory strategies may support allergy prevention, treatment, and allergen immunotherapy outcomes. Topic editors: Franziska Roth-Walter, Cristina Gomez-Casado Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81997/allergy-management-through-diet-immunonutrition-bioactive-compounds-and-therapeutic-innovation-in-allergic-diseases