Where do food allergies come from?
A food allergy is when the body’s immune system mistakenly recognizes a certain food as harmful — and responds by releasing chemicals called histamines in an effort to fight it off. The histamines, in turn, cause a variety of symptoms that can range from a mild rash to difficulty breathing. Food allergies run in families, so babies whose parents have allergies are at higher risk (particularly if both parents do). But more and more babies without a family history are developing allergies, too.
