Do you or someone you know have food allergies? If so, you already know how serious this type of allergy can be. Food allergies affect two to four percent of adults and from six to eight percent of children. However, up to one in three people believe they have a food allergy and may alter their own or their family's diet as a result. Some children outgrow food allergies, while adults with food allergies usually continue to react to the problem foods throughout their lives.
Food allergy occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly identifies the protein in certain foods as a threat and creates antibodies to fight that protein. The antibody produced is another type of protein called immunoglobulin E (IgE). As IgE circulates in the body, allergy symptoms result. Typically, allergic reactions occur in the nose, throat, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal system. Once your body has created IgE to a particular food, the next time you eat it you will get an allergic reaction. If allergies run in your family, you are more prone to developing food allergies.
The most common food allergies in adults include peanuts, shellfish (shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab), tree nuts (such as walnuts), fish, and eggs. Children commonly develop problems from eggs, milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. The most dangerous allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, occurs more often to peanuts and tree nuts and can be life-threatening when the affected person becomes unable to breathe. More often, the body's immune response causes one or more of the following symptoms: eczema, hives, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing. Once you develop a food allergy, the best treatment is to avoid eating the problem food.
More common than food allergies, intolerance to certain foods affects many people. Lactose intolerance, caused by a lack of the hormone needed to digest dairy products, affects about 10 percent of Americans.
Many people develop food intolerances to foods or food additives such as MSG. Food intolerance involves a response in the gastrointestinal system rather than the immune system. Symptoms of food intolerance include: gas, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or cramping, diarrhea, heartburn, headaches, irritability, or nervousness.'
'So how do you know whether you have a food allergy or a food intolerance? One consideration is how much of the problem substance causes a reaction. Allergic reactions are more likely to occur with exposure to even a small amount of the food while food intolerance is more often dose related. For example, you may have no reaction to a little milk on your cereal, but drinking a full glass makes you feel sick. Keeping a food diary or eliminating the potentially problem food from your diet may also help you pinpoint the source of your reaction. Discuss your concern with your health care provider who can help make the correct diagnosis.
Once you know that you have a food intolerance, limit or avoid eating that food. If ordering in a restaurant, ask your server whether what you're ordering contains the food or additive that causes problems for you, and be sure to read labels on the foods you buy. Who would guess that the grated cheese you bought at the store contained gluten?
Paulette Avery is a registered nurse and a freelance writer who specializes in health issues. You can reach her at averyfam\@comcast.net.
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