Food Allergies: What Are They? By Barry McDonald At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Food allergies or food intolerances affect nearly everyone at some point. People often have an unpleasant reaction to something they ate and wonder if they have a food allergy. Food allergies occur when your immune system makes a mistake. Normally, your immune system protects you from germs and disease. Food allergies result from an abnormal response after eating certain foods. An “allergen” is the part of the food which is responsible for producing the allergic reaction.

Allergic reactions can occur in the skin, respiratory system or gastrointestinal tract, causing swelling, hives, sneezing, nausea, abdominal pain, wheezing, shortness of breath or a drop in blood pressure.

How Common Are Food Allergies?

Food allergies affect children and adults of all races and ethnicity, and can develop at any age.

About 6-8 percent of children younger than 3 years experience food-allergic reactions. but many of these grow out of their childhood food allergies as they grow up. Food allergies can often be inherited. When both parents have allergies, it is reported that there is a “67% chance that the children will also have allergies. Food allergies are relevant to products developed through biotechnology because the improvements often involve adding or changing genes. Genes make proteins, and nearly all food allergens are proteins.

Commonly confused food allergies are conditions such as lactose intolerance , celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, these disorders may be linked to the ingestion of food products, but are not specifically caused by hypersensitivity.

Allergic reactions to foods typically begin within minutes to a few hours after eating the offending food. The frequency and severity of symptoms vary widely from one person to another. Allergic reactions to food during travel have been documented. The most serious reactions are those where the allergen is eaten. Allergies are on the increase, and people's awareness of them is also on the increase. That allergies are on the increase is bad of course, but that people are becoming more aware of them is good.
Are There Just One Type Of Food Allergy That Causes Allergies?

Allergy to milk and egg are by far the most common, and are usually outgrown by age 5 years. Peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies are typically the more severe and potentially life-threatening, and frequently persist into adulthood.

How Are Food Allergies Treated?

Allergists treating hay fever and other allergies have long used immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, to reduce their patients’ sensitivity to pollen, cat and dog dander, and dust mites. However, it is not considered safe to give allergy shots to food-allergic patients because the shots can cause severe allergic reactions.

To find out if you have a food allergy your doctor may have some skin tests done on you but they can be unreliable, and so your doctor may ask for blood tests as these can be done for a more conclusive answer.

Conclusion

Food allergies are on the rise although you might not think you may have a food allergy if you have some symptoms like migraine headaches, asthma attacks, and abdominal pain after eating a particular food type. However, even if you’ve never had a food allergy one can suddenly surface to supposedly healthy foods like whole wheat, dairy and eggs.

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