The stress of living with food allergies
At the tender age of four, Nathan George, Topeka freshman, vividly remembers vomiting, being covered in itchy hives and having extreme difficulty breathing — all because he ate a cookie that contained nuts
"It was a horrible experience," George says.
A trip to the doctor would change the way he ate for the rest of his life. George, like many young children, was diagnosed with an allergy to tree nuts.
Although an individual can be allergic to any food.
Although some people can outgrow their allergies, peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish are often life-long allergies.
A food allergy is defined as an immune system-mediated adverse reaction to foods. Food intolerances cause a variety of reactions and resemble food allergies.
Food allergies are serious. For some people, tasting or even touching a certain food can trigger a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction
eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (like walnuts and cashews), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
but they do not have an immune system basis, Nowak-Wegrzyn says. For example, lactose intolerance is not a food allergy because the intolerance is due to the lack of an enzyme that digests milk. Lactose
Food allergies affect about 6 to 8 percent of infants and young children and 3.5 to 4 percent of adults, says Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Influenge reactions Food allergies are serious. For some people, tasting or even touching a certain food can trigger a severe and potentially life-
Allergic reactions
intolerance causes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, which are common symptoms of many food allergies.
threatening reaction. Paul Fernkopf, Topeka sophomore, found out he was allergic to peanuts when he ate some and broke out in hives in the fifth grade
Even his girlfriend has to be careful of what she eats, Fernkopf says. "If I were to kiss her after she ate a food with peanuts or peanut oil, the remnants in her mouth could cause me to have a severe allergic reaction," he says.
Food normally doesn't trigger a response from a person's immune system. But for those who suffer from food allergies, two parts of the immune system are involved, according to researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
The first is the production of the antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) that circulates in the blood, and the second is a type of cell called a mast cell. People usually inherit the ability to form IgE against food allergens, but without it, food allergens survive to enter the bloodstream and travel to target organs, causing allergic reactions throughout the body.
Treatment and diet
Food allergic reactions account for an estimated 115 to 200 deaths each year in the U.S. and about 30,000 people are treated for allergic reactions in hospitals, says Robert Pacenza, executive director of the non-profit Food Allergy Initiative. Reaction protocol dictates that the allergic person goes to the hospital — but some opt to handle the reaction at home.
There is no cure for food allergies. Strict avoidance of the offending food is the only way to avoid a reaction. Benedryl and epinephrine can ward off less serious reactions. Epinephrine, or 'adrenaline,' is available by prescription and administered through a self-injected device. Fernkopf says he carries an EpiPen that he is supposed to take if he accidentally eats peanuts or something cooked in peanut oil to help his chances, but it can't prevent death.
There is a specific diet doctors have used to aid patients with food allergies.
says Hillary Kass, Nutrition Educator at the Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa.
The rotation diet is when the offending food is completely eliminated from the diet for a period of time (usually two to three weeks), and then, depending on the severity of the allergy, some people can reintroduce it back into their diet. The person must then wait four days before eating that particular food again. This process can continue as long as no reaction occurs. Some practitioners say everyone should eat this way.
"We are all predisposed to developing allergies and the over-consumption of a particular food can bring the allergy out, but if you are on a rotation diet, you won't have as much opportunity for the food allergy to develop,"Kass says.
Reading the labels
Reading the labels
On January 1,2006,the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection
Law became effective. Before this law, manufacturers used to be able to use
COMMON ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO FOOD
→a tingling sensation in the mouth
→swelling of the tongue and throat
→rash
→eczema
→hives and swelling
→vomiting
→abdominal cramps
→diarrhea
→wheezing
→difficulty breathing
→drop in blood pressure
→loss of consciousness
→death (very rarely)
Symptoms typically appear within minutes to two hours after a person has eaten the food to which he or she is allergic.
Source:American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
the term 'natural flavors' even when the product contained major allergens.
This caused major problems for food-allergic consumers, who would have to call the manufacturer to confirm whether or not an allergen was present. The bill now requires food manufacturers to clearly state if a product contains any of the eight major food allergens.
Since the law was passed, the FDA has done a good job in explaining and interpreting codes to food manufacturers, which will help foodallergen sufferers in the long run, Pacenza says.
"Luckily I don't really care for nuts anyways,sol don't feel
like I'm missing out," George says. "But it would be nice to have the option to eat what I want without having to read labels and worry what it's made of."