While more than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCA) has identified the eight most common allergenic foods. These eight foods account for 90 percent of allergic reactions to foods. While allergies are often inherited, it's impossible to predict whether a child will inherit a food allergy from a parent or if their siblings will suffer from a similar condition. Some research suggests that younger siblings of a child with a peanut allergy will also be allergic to peanuts.
Children can overcome their allergic reactions to milk and eggs. Allergies to peanuts and nuts are likely to persist. People who are allergic to a specific food may also have a potential reaction to related foods. A person who is allergic to a nut may cross-react with others.
People allergic to shrimp may react to crab and lobster. A person allergic to peanuts, which are actually legumes (beans), not nuts, may have problems with nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews; in very rare circumstances, they may have problems with other legumes (except soy). Many people with food allergies wonder if their condition is permanent. Allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, and soy may disappear over time, while allergies to peanuts, nuts, fish, and shellfish usually last a lifetime.
If your child does not have factors that indicate a high risk, the best way to introduce peanuts is to first make sure that your child is healthy, that is, that he does not have a cold, fever, or anything else. Make sure it's not the first food you introduce to them. Although most food allergies occur in childhood, they can rarely occur in adulthood. The most common food allergies in adults are shellfish (crustaceans and molluscs), as well as nuts, peanuts, and fish.
Most adults with food allergies have had this condition since they were children. Sometimes, an adult may miss an allergic reaction to a food because symptoms, such as vomiting or diarrhea, can be mistaken for the flu or food poisoning. Adults don't always pay much attention to symptoms, which can be dangerous, as they can go unnoticed and put the adult at risk if they continue to eat food. No study has conclusively demonstrated that allergens are airborne and cause symptoms to appear.
Except for some case reports related to fish allergy symptoms that appear when someone cooks fish, people with food allergies only have serious reactions after eating the allergic food. Many people with peanut allergies are also concerned about peanut dust, especially on airplanes. Most reactions probably occur after touching peanut powder that may be on trays, tables, or other surfaces. A recent study showed that cleaning surfaces to remove dust led to fewer people reporting reactions during a flight.
If there is an allergy to cow's milk, from time to time even a breastfed baby may have cramps or eczema until milk and dairy products are eliminated from the mother's diet. However, due in part to the adverse reactions they cause, such as asthma in sensitive people, they must be declared on food labels when they are present in foods and their concentration in foods is equal to or greater than 10 parts per million of total sulfites. The severity of allergic reactions to foods ranges from mild symptoms including hives and swelling of the lips to serious and potentially fatal symptoms, often referred to as anaphylaxis, which can involve fatal respiratory problems and shock. Not everyone who has symptoms after eating certain foods has a food allergy or needs to avoid that food completely; for example, some people feel itchy in their mouths and throats after eating a raw or uncooked fruit or vegetable.
The FDA inspects food manufacturers in accordance with the applicable requirements of 21 CFR, part 117, to determine if cross-contact with allergens has been minimized or prevented and if a food establishment has adequate controls for allergen labeling. People with a known food allergy who begin to experience any of these symptoms should stop eating the food right away, evaluate the need for emergency medication (such as epinephrine), and seek medical attention. Milk and milk-derived foods are important sources of calcium, an essential mineral for strong bones and teeth, muscle and nerve function, and the health of all body systems. An allergic food reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to a food or a substance in a food, identifies it as a hazard, and triggers a protective response.
Early recognition and learning how to control food allergies, including foods to avoid, are important measures to prevent serious health consequences. To protect people with food allergies and other food hypersensitivities, the FDA enforces regulations that require companies to include ingredients in packaged foods and beverages. Because of the possibility of a serious reaction, an oral food test should only be performed by experienced allergists in the doctor's office or at a food challenge center, with medications and emergency equipment on hand. Gluten, certain additives (for example, yellow 5, carmine, and sulfites), and other food allergens for which new scientific studies have emerged are examples of other substances that the FDA oversees and, in some cases, requires specific labeling for.
During an oral exposure with food, which takes place under strict medical supervision, the patient receives small amounts of the food suspected of triggering the trigger in increasing doses over a period of time, followed by a few hours of observation to see if a reaction occurs. .
