FOOD HYPERSENSITIVITY DEMYSTIFIED

Hey guys! It’s me again and I apologize for my long silence on this space. Relax, I'm not about to blame Coronavirus hahahahahaha. How have you been? Yes you! Good yeah? Thank God😊

Today, our topic is Food Hypersensitivity. Food Hypersensitivity can be broken down into three parts; Food Allergy, Food Intolerance and coeliac Disease. For this post, we'd discuss Food Allergy mainly.

Before we start our journey, let’s check out these interesting facts. *clears throat* DID YOU KNOW?😎

• More than 30% of the world's population is affected by allergies, with approximately 250 million people thought to be affected.
• The number of people with food allergies is growing but with no clear answer to why.
• Every 3 minutes, a food allergy sends someone to the emergency department.
• 1 in 13 children under the age of 18 suffer from food allergies.

Are you wowed?😂

THE THIN LINE BETWEEN FOOD ALLERGY AND FOOD INTOLERANCE

First things first, we should understand that an allergy is not intolerance.

An allergy is basically an unpleasant response of the immune system after a certain food(protein) is ingested, which is most definitely because the immune system sees that food as a threat, Food Intolerance on the other hand is characterized by the digestive system being unable to digest some food substances. I know it still sounds similar but lets look at more differences between the two.

FOOD ALLERGY

• Usually comes on suddenly
• Small amount of food can trigger a reaction
• Happens every time you eat the food
• Can be life threatening

FOOD INTOLERANCE

• Usually comes on gradually
• May only happen when you eat a lot of the food
• May only happen if you eat the food often
• Is not life threatening

We know the most common food intolerance, which is Lactose Intolerance, people that are affected have difficulty digesting the sugar Lactose in Cow's milk, which results in reactions like gas and bloating.

 

Now let’s look at Food Allergies.

Foods that cause allergies are called Allergens.

There are two main categories of Food Allergies; The IgE mediated and the Non-IgE mediated Food Allergies.

8 common allergens are Peanuts, Tree nuts, Fish, Eggs, Milk, Soy, Wheat and Shellfish.

 

• IgE mediated allergy - symptoms occur as a result of the body producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E. These antibodies react with a certain food. The IgE allergies that mostly occur in infants and children are milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, tree nuts and wheat. Symptoms may include; skin rash, itching, shortness of breath, wheezing, swelling of the lips, tongue/ throat, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, general feeling of unease. Symptoms grow worse and can even result in a very serious reaction called ANAPHYLAXIS ( Guys Anaphylaxis is very serious. It is the most extreme form of allergic reactions, rapid in onset and may lead to death, yes o DEATH😣).

 

• Non-IgE mediated allergy - many of the symptoms of this involve the digestive tract, like diarrhea and vomiting. In this case, Epinephrine, an allergy medication, cannot really work. It’s just best to totally avoid these foods. Symptoms can delay and may last longer than the IgE mediated. In some cases, symptoms can begin to show up to 3 days after eating the food. A good example is coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is our 3rd component of Food Hypersensitivity, but it can also fall under this category of food allergy. It is an immune reaction to a protein in wheat, barley and rye, that protein is called GLUTEN.

EXTRA FACTS

• Milk, egg, wheat and soy allergies are often outgrown. Most people do not outgrow peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies.
• There is currently no cure for food allergies.
• Avoiding the allergen is the most important way to prevent a reaction.
• Those with food allergies should carefully read food labels and always ask about ingredients before eating the food.
• Epinephrine is the first line of treatment for anaphylaxis.
• Those with food allergy should always have Epinephrine auto-injectors on hand.
• For reasons that are unclear, rates of food allergy have risen sharply in the last 20 years.

 

That's it guys! I really hope we have learnt a thing or two. I would like you to share your food allergy or intolerance experience(s) with meeee pleeeaaasssee😊. For me, I remember I ate something that I can't remember in the night and I woke up with a swollen lip the next morning. Please drop your comments and let’s connect! I love you😘💗