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Do you start itching whenever you eat walnuts? Maybe shrimp or fish makes you break out in hives? Does milk make your stomach bloat or churn? Symptoms like these cause millions of Americans to suspect they have a food allergy.
The good news is, however, that only a tiny fraction of such cases turn out to be true food allergic to certain foods. Food allergy is different from food intolerance, and the term is sometimes used in a vague, all-encompassing way, muddying the waters for people who want to understand what a real food allergy is.
Allergy and intolerance Are Not the Same
The difference between an allergy and an intolerance is how the body handles the offending food. In a true food allergy, the body’s immune system recognizes a rectionprovoking substance, or allergen , in the food-usually a protein-as foreign and produces antibodies to halt the “invasion.” As the battle rages, symptoms appear throughout the body. The most common sites are the mouth (swelling of the lips), digestive tract (stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea), skin (hives, rashes or eczema), and the airways (wheezing or breathing problems). People with allergies must avoid the offending foods altogether.
Cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, and soy are the most common sources of food allergies in children. Allergists believe that infant allergies are the result of immunologic immaturity and, to some extent, intestinal immaturity. Children sometimes outgrow the allergies they had as infant, but an early peanut allergy may be lifelong. Adults are usually most affected by tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and peanuts.
Food intolerance is a much more common problem than allergy. Here, the problem in not with the body’s immune system, but, rather, with its metabolism. The body connot adequately digest a portion of the offending food, usually because of some chemical deficiency. For example, persons who have difficulty digesting milk (lactose intolerance) often are deficient in the intestinal enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest milk sugar (lactose).
The deficiency can cause cramps and diarrhea if milk is consumed. Estimates are that about 80 percent of African-Americans have lactose intolerance, as do many people of Mediterranean or Hispanic origin. It is quite different from the true allergic reaction some have to the proteins in milk. Unlike allergies, intolerances generally intensify with age.
Dangerous Dishes
For people with true food allergies, the simple pleasure of eating can turn into an uncomfortable-and sometimes even dangerous-situation. For some, food allergies cause only hives or an upset stomach; for others, one bite of the wrong food can lead to serious illness or even death.
Food intolerance may produce symptoms similar to food allergies, such as abdominal cramping. But while people with true food allergies must avoid offending foods altogether, people with food intolerance can often eat some of the offending food without suffering symptoms. The amount that may be eating before symptoms appear is usually very small and varies with each individual.
Common Allergic Reactions
Mouth (swelling of the lips or tongue, itching lips) airways (wheezing or breathing problems) digestive tract (stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea) skin (hives, rashes or eczema)
Food Additives can Be a Problem Source
Over the years, people have reported adverse reactions to certain food additives, including aspartame, commonly know as NutraSweet, monosodium glutamate (a flavor enhancer), sulfur-based preservatives, and tartrazine, also known as FD&C Yellow No.5 (a food color). The federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires that FDA ensure the safety of all substances added to foods, but individual health conditions sometimes cause problems with certain additives. Therefore, if you think you are allergic to one of these, you are best of checking ingredient lables and avoiding them.
True Allergies
Heredity may cause a predisposition to have allergies of any type, and repeated exposure to allergens start sensitizing those who are susceptible. Some experts believe that, rarely, a specific allergy can be passed on from parent to child. Several studies have indicated that exclusive breast-feeding, especially with maternal avoidance of major food allergens, may deter some food allergies in infants and youg children. (Smoking during pregnancy can also result in the increased possibility that the body will have allergies.) Most patients who have true food allergies have other types of allergies, such as dust or pollen, and children with both food allergies and asthma are at increased risk for more severe reactions.
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