Food allergies and intolerances
[Teaser] Do you know the difference between food allergies and food intolerances or sensitivities?
What is a food allergy? The body’s immune system is responsible for identifying invaders (like bacteria and viruses) and triggering a response to fight the infection. With IgE-mediated food allergies, the body sees the protein in some foods as a dangerous invader and attempts get rid of it. To do this, the immune system produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). This triggers the release of histamine into the blood. Histamine is responsible for causing the allergic reaction in the body. For some people, the reaction may be mild, but for others even a tiny amount of the allergen can cause a serious reaction.
Your doctor may prescribe an epinephrine pen for you to keep with you in case you accidently ingest the allergy food, or in the case of other allergens, like bee stings.
What is food intolerance or sensitivity?
Reactions to food that do not produce the immediate immune responses described above are called food intolerances or immunoglobulin G (IgG) mediated allergies. These are usually common foods that most people are able to eat without a reaction. In the sensitive individual, ingestion of the food causes the production of IgG antibodies (also a reaction to a protein found in the food) which builds up in the body over time, causing inflammation. Symptoms may develop quite soon after you have eaten the offending food or the reaction may only occur several days later. Not everyone experiences the same reactions.
Sensitivities may be caused by chemicals or additives in food like preservatives, sulphites or colourants or a lack of specific enzymes needed to break down a certain food (like lactose intolerance). Some people with food intolerances can eat the foods in small quantities with no ill effects, but others can become very ill with just a small amount of the allergy food is
Celiac Disease is an inflammatory disease that destroys the lining of the small intestines and prevents the absorption of nutrients and vitamins into the system. The patients' health suffers; their digestive system is unable to process gluten foods that contain wheat, barley, and oats. The cause of this disease is unknown; however, environmental factors and a genetic predisposition are suspected.
First, “What are food allergies”? , food allergies are when the body overreacts and become highly sensitive to
Following my first sip of milk at the age of one, with the resulting hives and coughing that ensued, I involuntarily joined the community of fifteen million Americans afflicted by food allergies. Living everyday with additional allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish has, out of necessity, sharpened my compulsiveness with ingredients and food preparation, but furthermore has spurred me to intervene on behalf of fellow members in this emerging epidemic. The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) national organization has been a source of education and support in my own life, and subsequently has aided my efforts to raise awareness among peers, and to nurture my advocacy involvement. Selected as a member of FARE’s Teen Advisory
What exactly are food allergies? Food allergies essentially occur as a result of the immune system attacking a mistaken food protein or an allergen. When this attack on the foo...
“What Is the Immune System.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Home Page. Web. 18 Dec. 2011. .
In Areopagitica, Milton talks heavily about the topic of food and eating because it was something that was familiar to all his readers. Not only does everyone eat, but in the Bible that all his good Christian readers would have read there is much said about what foods are right or wrong to eat. Milton uses passages in the Bible to support his analogy that if man is free to choose what is right or wrong to consume in order to nourish his physical body, why should he not be able to judge what books should nourish him mentally?
Being allergic to something may not seem to be a big deal to some people, but to others it can be life-changing. When someone is diagnosed with an allergy, especially when the allergen (the thing that triggers the body to have its allergic reaction) is very common in her environment, she may have to make many lifestyle changes to stay safe and healthy. The first step to treating an allergy is to understand fully what the allergy really is and how to keep one’s self safe. So what is a latex allergy? A latex allergy occurs when the human body decides that latex is a harmful substance and tries to fight it off; causing multiple symptoms, and sometimes being very hard to avoid.
Food allergy or hypersensitivity refers to the abnormal allergic reaction of the body’s immune system to a usually harmless food such as milk, eggs, peanuts, and fish. Food allergens that cause allergic reactions are usually proteins and this can cause adverse effects even if cooked or have been digested. Dairy allergens include milk and milk proteins that are found in cows, sheep, goat, and other grazing mammals that produce milk. Milk allergy symptoms may differ from person to person and it sometimes occur a few minutes to a few hours after ingestion. Principal symptoms are mostly respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatological. After consuming milk, some symptoms may immediately surface like hives, vomiting and wheezing. In some cases, signs and symptoms may take longer period of time to develop such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, itchy skin rash and loose stools, which may contain blood. For babies, colic also surfaces much longer than most symptoms thus parents should be more alert for signs of milk allergy. Rarely, milk allergies can trigger anaphylaxis, which is a severe reaction that can be life-threatening. It is best to consult your doctor even if there is only mild reaction. This is to avoid potentially worse reaction in the future and also to know the steps in avoiding its recurrence.
You have close relatives with allergy (that is, a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, or child)
In the United States, over three million people are diagnosed with food allergies every year, and over 50 million people have an allergy to some type of food. This number includes one in every 13 children. Most people are born with their allergies; however, allergies can develop at any age, and that is what happened to me. I developed an allergy when I was 14 years old. It was then that some troubling and deleterious side effects started happening to me. When people develop food allergies, their immune systems overreact to normally harmless food proteins. (foodallergy.org). These attacks can affect people in a multitude of ways; they can cause hives, difficulty in breathing, stomach aches, and many more symptoms.
I preferred homemade most of the time. In the past 3 or 4 years, I tried a lot of different foods and like to stick with veggie food with chicken. I can’t eat pork and beef because every time I think about trying it makes me sick. No offense but everyone is different. I discussed it at home and my mother told me that I was very sensitive as compared to my brother. My immune system is not that strong and this is the reason I am very skinny because I don’t try new food. I get scared with the feeling of no liking
There are many allergic reactions that come with food allergies. The main one is called anaphylaxis. This fatal reaction is a violent allergic reaction that occurs thought the body causing nausea, vomiting, swelling, chest pain, choking and collapse.
Human race is known to have developed numerous allergies to various known and unknown allergens. An extreme allergic reaction which can be “life-threatening”. (Mydr.com.au, 2014) is referred to as Anaphylaxis.It is a “medical emergency”(Lloyd & Sisman,2013).Statistics indicate that maximum deaths occur due to allergic reactions of various medicines. The other causative agents can be insects, food, latex, hair dye, etc(Lloyd & Sisman,2013). The most common trigger to stimulate anaphylaxis among children are food products such as peanuts, dairy, seafood etc. Exposure to any of these allergens can result in severe anaphylactic attack within 20 minutes.(Australian Resuscitation council, 2012).However the doctors discuss the history of symptoms occurring in children suffering with peanut allergy before declaring them to be anaphylactic and prescribing medication. (Unknown, 2014). Symptoms of anaphylaxis may occur in varied forms depending upon the severty of the reaction. For instance in mild cases swelling of lips, eyes or face occurs along with hives, rash, tingling of mouth and vomitting accompanied with abdominal pain. Nevertheless in extreme conditions the former symptoms may be accompanied with noisy breathing, wheezing, hoarseness and unconsciousness. (Lloyd & Sisman,2013).
Food borne illnesses are caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There are many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens. In addition, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances can cause food borne illnesses if they are present in food. More than two hundred and fifty different food borne illnesses have been described; almost all of these illnesses are infections. They are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be food borne. (Center 1)
Patients who usually have allergies suffer from many symptoms due to the allergic reaction(s). Normally, your immune system protects you against invading agents such as bacteria and viruses. Otherwise harmless allergens (allergy-producing substances) cause your body to react as if they were dangerous invaders. In effect, your immune system is responding to a false alarm.