A low-nickel (Ni) diet, a key treatment for Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome (SNAS), is difficult in the long term and strongly impacts quality of life (QoL). Hydroponic agriculture could be an alternative to allow the reintroduction of tomato, an essential food in the global diet. In a first interventional, randomized, double-blind, single-center crossover study, we compared the possible effects of eating tomato puree deriving from hydroponic agriculture versus tomato puree from conventional cultivation, collecting data on subjective control of SNAS symptoms, adherence to treatment, and impact on QoL. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following treatment groups: (1) a 12-week low-Ni diet plus 100% Italian Datterino tomato puree deriving from hydroponic technology; (2) a 12-week low-Ni diet plus 100% Italian Datterino tomato puree deriving from conventional cultivation. Then, after a 2-week washout period on the low-Ni diet, each patient crossed over to the other treatment. Patients reported lower symptom scores after eating Datterino tomato puree deriving from hydroponic technology; specifically, bloating (p = 0.0111, p = 0.0060), flatulence (p = 0.0090), abdominal cramps (p = 0.0207), constipation (p = 0.0395), and diarrhea (p = 0.0105). Overall, the adherence rate was high for both treatment arms. At baseline, QoL was poor, but significant improvement was observed after two treatments. In our study, precision medicine and precision agriculture merge in a holistic approach to the challenges of food allergies.
Keywords: Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome; adherence; food allergy; hydroponic agriculture; low-nickel diet; precision agriculture; precision medicine; quality of life; symptoms; tomato.