Allergies have tripled - with hay fever, seasonal allergies, eczema and food intolerances now affecting millions of people. But why are allergy symptoms getting worse, and what does gut health have to do with it?
In this episode, Adam Fox, a world-leading allergy Professor at King’s College London, explains why allergies may be rising so fast, why many beliefs about allergies are wrong, and what new science reveals about your immune system, skin and gut.
Professor Fox explores why some foods are more likely to trigger reactions, and why modern allergy science is increasingly focused on gut health. Adam also discusses why 90% of people told they are allergic to certain things may not actually be allergic, the difference between allergies and intolerances, and why some antihistamines may be doing you more harm than you realise.
By the end of this episode, you will have some practical ways to manage hay fever and seasonal allergies, including which antihistamines experts now recommend avoiding, simple ways to reduce pollen exposure at home, and when allergy testing or desensitisation treatment may help. Adam explains how newer treatments are starting to retrain the immune system rather than simply suppress symptoms.
If allergies barely existed a few hundred years ago, what changed? And could your gut now be shaping the way your immune system reacts to the world around you?
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Timecodes
00:00 Intro
03:19 Why peanut allergies became so common in children
08:05 Why allergies are different in every country
10:00 The hidden link between eczema and food allergies
11:14 Your gut and skin train your immune system differently
12:42 What eczema actually does to your immune system
15:15 Did hay fever barely exist 200 years ago?
17:36 Why hay fever can seriously affect your life
18:11 Hay fever may affect exam results and work performance
20:20 Most people diagnosed with penicillin allergy may not have it
22:30 90% of penicillin allergies may be wrong
25:52 The hygiene hypothesis may not explain allergies after all
28:10 The microbiome connection scientists can’t ignore
31:24 The mouse experiment that changed allergy science
34:05 The eating pattern linked to fewer allergies in children
36:35 Food allergy vs food intolerance - what’s the difference?
39:51 What anaphylaxis actually feels like in the body
43:43 Gluten allergy, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity explained
47:49 Why allergy blood tests can give misleading results
49:46 The new treatment changing peanut allergy care
52:41 5 science-backed ways to reduce hay fever symptoms
55:16 The antihistamines some doctors now avoid
56:40 The future of allergy treatment is changing fast
📚Books by our ZOE Scientists
The Food For Life Cookbook
Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector
Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector
Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector
Free resources from ZOE
The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra
Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint
How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health
Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition
Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks
Better Breakfast Guide
Mentioned in today's episode
Professor Adam Fox OBE uses Instagram to share clear bite-sized insights on children’s allergies, eczema & other allergic diseases - Follow at @DrAdamFox
Rising Trends in Food Allergies, The Lancet (2024)
Pollen exposure and exam performance, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2026)
Almost nine in ten patients labelled allergic to penicillin had no allergy, The Lancet (2025)
Risk Factors for the Development of Food Allergy, JAMA (2026)
Food Allergy and the Microbiome, Current Research in Microbial Sciences (2025)
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Episode transcripts are available here.