Food Allergy
Author: mzPOTTER
A food allergy is a reaction of the body’s immune system to any ingredient in food, usually a protein, erroneously, the body acts like a germ or some other invasive and does his best to defend themselves.
Any food can cause an allergy, but is much more likely that certain foods do. In children, the foods that most commonly cause allergic reactions are:
- Groundnuts (peanuts)
- eggs
- milk
- soy
- wheat
- seafood
- nuts
Most allergic reactions occur within 30 minutes after eating the food that causes the problem. Often, the reaction occurs within 5 to 10 minutes, but can occur up to 4 to 6 hours after ingestion.
A food allergy is different from food intolerance. In food intolerance, there is a physical reaction to a food, but this reaction is not allergic. Lactose intolerance is a common example: people who suffer have trouble digesting one of the sugars in milk and may have a stomachache or diarrhea when they drink milk or eat dairy. Although the symptoms of food intolerance can be uncomfortable, this condition is not dangerous. There are other conditions such as celiac disease, which can cause food reactions (people with celiac disease have problems with any food that contains wheat), who are not allergic.
Another form of allergy is called oral allergy syndrome. People who have it feel itchy lips, mouth and throat (and sometimes swelling of the lips) after eating certain fruits or vegetables. This is really dangerous. Food allergies are becoming more common, especially among children. Experts estimate that up to 8 percent of children suffer from food allergies. In adults, the number is 1 or 2 percent. Although no exact cause of food allergy, the disease tends to run in family groups.
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