Dear Doctor. Bronz: A series of reactions were conducted on my family physician order allergy test. The results were a little surprising because they identified projects I had never reacted to before. Why do I have an allergic reaction to food when there are no problems for so many years?
WS, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Dear WS: Food allergies are a more common experience in our early days, but they can develop at any age – even for foods you once tolerated and enjoyed. It starts when the food part (usually a fragment of protein) slides the intestinal wall into the digestive system before it is completely digested.
Once absorbed, the debris are marked by the immune system, which attacks the invaders and stimulates the body for future encounters.
Eating the same food again triggers immune responses such as GI depression, sneezing, asthma, rash, swelling, headaches, and even life-threatening blood pressure drops – the culprits include nuts, eggs, shellfish, wheat, milk and soy.
Why these? During digestion, they may form unique fragments that can slide through the intestinal wall. Some childhood allergies disappear over time, while others continue to adulthood.
Events that affect the immune system (such as hormone changes, medications, stress, infections or diseases, especially diseases that affect digestion) can affect the possibility of food allergies.
Drugs and alcohol can also have an impact. Our genetics also involve. All of these variables can make you susceptible to food allergic reactions that don’t usually occur. Additionally, changes in geographic location can increase the levels of allergens above your specific sensitivity threshold.
A good starting point is a certified doctor with the American College of Allergy and Immunology. Get more information on foodallergy.org.
(Ed Blonz, Ph.D. is a nutrition scientist and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco.)
– Asian features
