Solving the mystery of allergies

In this week's Health Check, Claudia Hammond looks at a new study in mice that examines two longstanding questions about allergies: why do they often emerge only after repeated exposure to the allergen and why do people with one allergy often develop other allergies as well? Claudia speaks to a scientist who has been attempting to solve these mysteries; Dr Caroline Sokol, from the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, and member of the Ragon Institute. Her paper has just been published in the journal Immunity.

New research published in Sports Medicine Open suggests that air pollution, and in particular nitrogen dioxide, is associated with impaired performance in marathon runners. Jane Burston is founder and chief executive of a philanthropic foundation called the Clean Air Fund, which funds projects to reduce air pollution, and discusses the implications of these findings with Claudia.

Joining Health Check from Berlin is Andrew Green. Reporting the latest news from the Global World Health Summit in Berlin, Andrew also discusses with Claudia the research findings that taking paracetamol may blunt our fear and make us more prepared to take risks. And they examine the results of a new study which investigated whether pre-school children are more creative than adults or whether they are just more confident.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producers: Helena Selby and Jonathan Blackwell