Allergies may protect against cancer

(Daily Mail) UPDATED 2008-11-17

New research has found that people who suffer from allergy symptoms may actually be less likely to get certain types of cancer. A review of 650 previous studies found that overall, cancer patients had fewer allergies than people who were cancer-free. Experts say that may be because sneezing and other allergy symptoms are the body's way of protecting itself from cancer-causing particles. The studies, which were conducted over a period of 50 years, found that allergies linked to the outside of the body--such as hay fever, eczema, pet dander, and food allergies--were the types that were less common in cancer patients. Researchers say this means that more studies need to be done on whether it is wise to prevent allergy symptoms. Read full story >

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