The issue of food allergies, reactions to preservatives and food colourings, and food intolerances in children has received much attention by researchers in recent years. Studies have shown that many children to react to foods and food additives, causing a host of health problems.
In my practice, I frequently see children suffering from food allergies. Symptoms can range from hives and asthma, to digestive complaints, ear infections, bed wetting, eczema, and behaviour problems. Research now strongly suggests that indeed, food allergies are becoming more common I western societies. Why is this the case? Let's take a look at
1) What are food allergies?
2) What can cause food allergies?
3) How can you test for food allergies
4) How can they be treated?
What are food allergies?
A food allergy is basically an immunological reaction to a protein component of a particular food. There are different types of reactions
IgE food allergy is the more serious reaction that can cause hives, breathing problems, and anaphylaxis. It is caused by the release of histamine by particular immune cells. These are the food allergies commonly tested via skin prick by the allergist. Most parents know what foods their child is reacting to because the reaction can occur immediately after ingesting the food. Strawberries, shellfish, peanuts, and egg are common IgE mediated food allergies.
IgG food allergies are more difficult to pinpoint because the reaction can be delayed for up to a day after the food was eaten. These reactions are less severe and less life threatening but nevertheless can cause significant discomfort. Symptoms of the delayed reactions can range from attention deficit disorders, skin rashes, ear infections, hay fever, chronic nasal congestion, headaches, and bed wetting, to name just a few.
What can cause food allergies?
The complex cascade of events is beyond the scope of this article—here are just a few examples of possible factors.
The digestive tract is an important mediator in allergies. Most people don't know that 70-80% of the immune system is actually located in the gut. The gut has a surface area of half a tennis court. Peppered throughout that tennis court are areas called Peyer's patches, which are like little life guard stations of the immune system. Covering the surface of the tennis court are beneficial bacteria like acidophilus and bifidobacteria (probiotics), which stick to the mucosal wall of the gut. These important bacteria have several key functions, one of them is to mature our immune cells located in the gut Peyer's patches. This is a complicated process of critical importance to a young immune system like that of a child. Babies born vaginally pick up their probiotics from the birth canal. Researchers now believe that Cesarean born babies have a higher incidence of allergies because they lack these beneficial bacteria from the birth canal and therefore cannot properly mature their immune systems.
