Allergy Information And Tips

Common Food Allergies and How to Deal With Them

March 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

The most common food allergies occur most frequently in children, but it is possible for adults to develop them as well. A food allergy occurs when an immune system responds adversely to certain type of food proteins that it mistakenly believes are harmful. When that happens, allergic reactions occur and allergic symptoms appear. This food protein that triggers this allergic reaction is known as food allergen.

An individual may be allergic to any food, but there are 8 types of food that account for over 90% of all food allergies. These types of food are:

1. Eggs,
2. Milk,
3. Peanuts,
4. Tree nuts (nuts from trees, like walnut, cashew, pecan, almond, etc.)
5. Fish,
6. Shellfish (shrimp, mussel, clam, oyster, lobster, prawn, etc.)
7. Soy, and
8. Wheat

Symptoms of Common Food Allergies

Common food allergies symptoms can begin within minutes to a couple of hours after consuming the food allergens. These following are symptoms from common food allergies:

1. Tingling sensation in the mouth,
2. Swelling of soft tissues like the tongue, lips and throat,
3. Skin rashes (hives and eczema),
4. Stomach cramps,
5. Nausea and vomiting,
6. Diarrhea,
7. Sneezing and coughing,
8. Difficulty in breathing,
9. Loss of consciousness and
10. Anaphylaxis, a severe, whole-body allergic reaction that can result in death.

When food allergens first enter the digestive system of someone with food allergies, the body produces an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) which circulates in the blood stream. This antibody, IgE attaches to a particular type of cells called mast cells.
There won’t be any symptoms on this first exposure to the common food allergens. On subsequent exposures, the food allergens will trigger the IgE attached to mast cells to produce histamines and other chemicals which then produces the symptoms.
Mast cells are found in the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tracts and skin. Depending on which part of the body’s mast cells produces the chemicals, determines the type of symptoms one will get.

Common Food Allergy Causes and Risk Factors

Hereditary plays a big part in the reason why someone has an allergy including food allergy. If both the parents have an allergy, the child has a probability of about 75% to develop an allergy as well. If one parent is allergic, the probability drops to about 35%. If none of the parents are allergic, the probability is about 15%.

Food allergy is believed to be more readily developed in people with a combination of diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema and conjunctivitis.

Food Allergy Not To Be Confused With Food Intolerance

Food allergy is an immune system response while food intolerance is a digestive system response. Food allergy occurs when the immune system treats certain types of food as a threat to the body and responds by releasing antibody.
Food intolerance occurs when certain foods irritate the digestive system or when the foods cannot be digested properly or broken down. Lactose intolerance is the most common example when some people lack the enzymes to properly digest milk and other diary products.

While symptoms for both are similar, small amount of food will bring on the symptoms every time for food allergies. People with food intolerance may not have symptoms unless a large amount of the food is consumed.

Treatment and How to Deal With Food Allergies

To treat common food allergies, a diagnosis on the type of foods that causes the allergy has to be made. To find out what type of food causes the allergy, there are 2 main types of tests to be conducted:

1. Skin prick test – Diluted amounts of different food extracts are placed on the skin and then the skin is lightly punctured. Within about 20 minutes, a positive reaction will result in a raised, red bump, similar to a mosquito bite. This test is usually cheaper than the next test;
2. Blood test – Blood samples are taken and RAST (Radio Allergo Sorbent Test) determines the presence of IgE antibody to a particular food allergen

Once the particular type or types of food allergens are determined, the best treatment for food allergy is strict avoidance of the food culprits.
Currently, there is no medication that can cure food allergies.
To avoid food allergens, be sure to read the labels on food packaging to look out for any offending food.

If the offending food allergen is consumed and brings on symptoms, Epinephrine is the medication of choice in controlling a severe reaction.