May 11-17 is Food Allergy Awareness Week

> Home > Food Allergy Awareness

A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakes as harmful. The immune system develops antibodies against this particular food and the next time a person eats this food a massive amount of chemicals are released to try and "protect" the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory, gastrointestinal, skin or cardiovascular system.

An individual may be allergic to any food; however, milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat make up 90% of all food-allergic reactions. Symptoms typically appear within minutes to two hours after eating an allergic food and can range from tingling in the mouth, swelling of the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, a drop in blood pressure, anaphylaxis, loss of consciousness and death.

It is estimated that 12 million Americans suffer from "true" food allergies. There are millions of others who struggle with food "intolerance" in which they have an adverse food reaction such as gas, bloating, and abdominal pain; however, this does not involve the immune system or elicit an allergic response. An example of this would be lactose intolerance where those affected can not break down the sugars in milk or other dairy products.

Treatment of true food allergies is strict avoidance of that food. Most people will outgrow their food allergies although peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish allergies are usually considered lifelong. Emergency treatment for a food allergy reaction is the medication epinephrine which is prescribed and available as a self-injection device. Prompt medical attention is important in any reaction due to the potential of death.

To learn more about food allergies visit:

• www.foodallergy.org
• www.mayoclinic.com (search for "food allergy")