What is a food allergy?

Answer 1

A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. Once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful, it creates specific antibodies to it. The next time the individual eats that food, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, including histamine, in order to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.

Answer 2

You can have a special detailed blood test report for food allergies. Any good doctor or known pathologist will suggest you the specialist for the same. This report may cost you about Rs.2000/- and such specialist available only at metro cities. It will notify digital point wise details of food allergies and also about so many other items allergies details. Say Thankyou......just laughing, dear.

Answer 3

A reaction to certain foods. It might include vomiting, or a fever. Or you might break out into hives, redness, swelling. If you are allergic. Stop immediately; take some Benadryl and I would contact your physician and find out if you need to be tested to see what foods you might have an allergic reaction to. Like for example my sister as a younger child; she was allergic to certain foods and I recall if she ate any of them. She would be vomiting half the night. Ex: seafood.

Answer 4

having allergy with certain food

Answer 5

When you're allergic with certain food, certain symptoms show up - cold sore, rashes, acnes, etc. It's a form of immunisation reaction in order to protect your most delicate parts of your body.

Answer 6

What is the definition of food allergy?

An allergic reaction to a food is an inappropriate reaction by the body's immune system to the ingestion of a food that in the majority of individuals causes no adverse effects. Allergic reactions to foods vary in severity and can be potentially fatal. In food allergy the immune system does not recognise as safe a protein component of the food to which the individual is sensitive (such as some proteins in peanuts). This component is termed the allergen. The immune system then typically (see below) produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to the allergen, which trigger other cells to release substances that cause inflammation. Allergic reactions are usually localised to a particular part of the body and symptoms may include asthma, eczema, flushing, and swelling of tissues (such as the lips) or difficulty in breathing. A severe reaction may result in anaphylaxis (as with severe peanut allergy), in which there is a rapid fall in blood pressure and severe shock. Food allergy is relatively rare, affecting an estimated 1-2% of children and less than 1% of adults (typically 0.2-0.5%), and is often wrongly used as a general term for adverse reactions to food.

Are there different types of allergy?

There are two well defined mechanisms via which allergic reactions to food (that is, reactions that involve the immune system) can occur. Most cases of food allergy involve the production of antibodies known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) and are known as IgE mediated allergies. Symptoms develop quickly and can vary in severity, but the severest form of this type of reaction is anaphylactic shock. The other recognised mechanism is a delayed response (taking hours or even days to develop), which involves a different immune system component, T lymphocytes (T cells). The best defined example of this type of reaction is coeliac disease (sensitivity to the protein, gluten, found in wheat and other cereals), but delayed reactions can also on occasion occur in response to a range of other foods, including milk and soya.1 2

Why doesn't everyone develop allergies?

Under normal circumstances a baby rapidly becomes tolerant (non-responsive) to the many proteins that it encounters in the early days and months of its life.1 The mechanisms that underpin this process are not fully understood. It is also unclear why most childhood allergies disappear after 12 to 24 months (such as milk allergy) while others are present for life (such as peanut allergy). Another aspect that is poorly understood is the relative importance of diet in the development of allergic diseases, although it is recognised that diet can aggravate existing conditions such as asthma and atopic dermatitis (many other factors may also be involved). Similarly, the benefit of dietary restriction in the treatment for these conditions is uncertain, particularly among adults. This is partly because it is difficult to totally exclude a food or ingredient.

Which foods are the most common causes of allergic reactions?

The majority of allergic reactions to dietary components are caused by a small number of foods, namely cows' milk, hens' eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soya beans and soya products, fish, shellfish and gluten containing cereals--for example, wheat (which causes a delayed response known as coeliac disease)1 2 Citrus fruits can also be a cause. In children, it has been estimated nine out of 10 reactions are in response to milk, eggs, soya, peanuts, tree nuts, or wheat gluten. Many of these reactions are outgrown in early childhood, and the majority of allergic reactions in adults result from sensitisation to shellfish, fish, peanuts, and tree nuts. It is unusual for food allergy to begin in adulthood.

How do the symptoms and severity of food allergy and other forms of food intolerance compare?

Food intolerance reactions vary considerably in the severity of the associated symptoms and the length of time for which they persist. For example, peanut allergy is often a life long affliction and can cause severe, even life threatening, anaphylactic reactions to tiny amounts of peanut protein. Cows' milk intolerance may be severe in early life, but typically disappears as the child grows older. The majority (about 90%) have outgrown the intolerance by the time they go to school (typically by the age of 3 years). Similarly, egg intolerance is usually a temporary phenomenon associated with early childhood.1 2

Coeliac disease (gluten sensitivity) is normally life long and requires adherence to a diet that excludes all gluten, but in some people the disease is mild and goes undiagnosed as the individual is not aware of any symptoms.

Answer 7

where certain food make up act up

Answer 8

BEING allergic to certain foods.