What are Food Allergies?
A food allergy is an adverse food reaction for which an immunological basis is clearly defined. Immune-mediated adverse food reactions involve the production of antibodies to certain food antigens. These reactions depend on a person’s sensitivity to some foods over others, which may occur for many reasons including genetic predisposition and current health status. Food allergies are classified as IgE-mediated and non-IgE mediated reactions.
What are food allergies? This is a difficult question with confusing answers (possibly because some doctors use semantics to trivialize a problem they have trouble dealing with). When the term “allergy” was first coined, it meant an adverse reaction to any substance that does not bother most people. Then in the 1920’s, it was discovered that a type of antibody called “Reagin” or IgE was involved in many allergic reactions, especially those to inhalants. So conventional medicine defined allergy as an IgE-mediated response. IgE-mediated allergies are easily detected by standard blood or skin tests. The reactions happen rapidly, usually within a few minutes of exposure to inhaled substances or eating a food. Small amounts of the offending substance trigger the reactions, which commonly occur in the respiratory tract, digestive system, or skin. IgE-mediated food reactions are often “fixed.” This means that after months or years of avoiding a problem food, eating any amount of it will still
A food allergy is an adverse food reaction for which an immunological basis is clearly defined. Immune-mediated adverse food reactions involve antibody production to certain food antigens. These reactions depend on a person’s sensitivity to some foods over others, which may occur for many reasons including genetic predisposition and current health status.
Approximately three to seven percent of children and adults have food allergies or food intolerance. Food allergies have been called the great masqueraders because they are a hidden cause of so many problems, ranging from mere annoyances to downright disease. Food allergies tend to be underdiagnosed by physicians and overdiagnosed by everyone else. The truth about their prevalence is somewhere in between. In one study of children whose parents were convinced that their child had food allergies, only 39 percent of the allergies could be confirmed scientifically. Perhaps with no other medical problem is partnership between physician and patient more vital. The patient’s role is to be a keen observer and accurate reporter. The physician’s role is to take the information gathered by the patient and work out a step-by-step plan for tracking down hidden food allergies and figuring out what to do about them. Here are some facts you should know about food allergies and what to do about them.
