Effect of varying dietary fatty acid patterns on early-life food allergy in rats

The prevalence of food allergies is increasing worldwide, affecting approximately 8% of children. Food allergies that develop early in life can persist throughout an individual's life. Dietary patterns, particularly those involving fatty acids (FAs), play an important role in the regulation of immune cells, thereby affecting the development of food allergies. Aimed to investigate the effects of different FA patterns on food allergies, this study established a sensitised infant rat model and fed it with feeds containing different types of FAs. We then assessed the clinical allergy symptoms, immune balance, and gut microbiota. Our animal allergy model revealed that diets rich in specific FAs exerted different regulatory effects on food allergies. Notably, n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated FAs exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on food allergies, accompanied by a reduction in allergy symptoms, lower serum antibody levels, and modulation of T cell differentiation. By contrast, high levels of medium-chain FAs promoted the occurrence and progression of food allergies. In addition, various dietary FA patterns have varying impacts on the gut microbiota, influencing overall diversity, microbial composition, and function. N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated FAs may be associated with a significant increase in the copy number of 15-cis-phytoene synthase in the intestinal flora. These findings suggest that dietary intake of different FAs during early life can affect an individual's susceptibility to food allergies by shaping the gut microbiota, which may offer a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of food allergies.