Daijiworld Media Network- Jerusalem(DD)

Jerusalem, May 28: In a significant medical breakthrough, researchers from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) have uncovered the biological secret behind one of the body’s most essential survival tricks — the ability to tolerate food without triggering an immune attack.

The findings, released on Tuesday, could pave the way for groundbreaking treatments for food allergies, celiac disease, and other food-related autoimmune disorders, which arise when this natural tolerance fails.

At the center of this discovery lies a rare group of immune cells called ROR-gamma-t cells. These specialized cells, long overlooked, are now believed to play a pivotal role in establishing “oral tolerance” — the immune system’s ability to recognize food as harmless and refrain from launching a defense.

“This changes our entire understanding of food tolerance,” researchers wrote in a study shared by Nature. “For years, it was believed that dendritic cells were responsible for keeping peace during meals. But our research showed that even without dendritic cells, the immune system still did not attack food — suggesting a far more complex mechanism at play.”

The scientists discovered that ROR-gamma-t cells initiate a cascade involving four types of immune cells, which ultimately suppresses CD8 T cells, the body’s primary defenders, from misidentifying food as a threat.

When this finely tuned system breaks down, it can result in severe allergic reactions or autoimmune responses to otherwise harmless substances like peanuts or gluten.

The study also revealed another remarkable trait of the immune system — its ability to suspend food tolerance temporarily during an actual infection. “It’s like an override switch,” scientists noted. “When the body senses a real threat, it can pause tolerance to fight back, then restore it once the danger has passed.”

Experts believe this discovery could revolutionize the way food allergies and sensitivities are treated. Targeting the ROR-gamma-t pathway might allow doctors to reset or repair broken tolerance responses — potentially providing relief to millions worldwide.

“Understanding why one immune system peacefully accepts a peanut while another declares war on it brings us closer to solving the allergy puzzle,” a lead researcher explained.

From the quiet act of eating to the sophisticated inner workings of our immune cells, this discovery underscores the delicate harmony within our bodies — a harmony that Israeli scientists are now one step closer to mastering.