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"Allergy" is a term derived from Greek. It combines two words - "reaction" - " ergon " and "changed", or " allos ". It means an abnormal reaction to a specific type of food, leading to toxic changes or not (called food hypersensitivity). The body's response to a specific food can be dependent on immunoglobulins of class E (IgE-dependent allergies) or occur without their participation (IgE-independent).
What is important – allergy symptoms always take the same form in specific people and occur after eating the allergenic food. Symptoms of allergies include, among others:
- Skin symptoms – hives, rashes, redness, itching
- Respiratory disorders – feeling of pressure and shortness of breath, or even breathing problems
- Gastrointestinal disorders – impaired digestion and absorption – bloating, bloating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea
Types of allergies
Allergies, or more broadly speaking – hypersensitivities, are not a narrow concept. They can be classified into 4 basic types, which differ in the body's response and the manifestation of symptoms:
- Type I, which is called an immediate reaction or immediate type, is a process dependent on immunoglobulins of class E (IgE) in the course of which histamine and other mediators of the inflammatory reaction of the body are released. Its symptoms may be shortness of breath, rhinitis or anaphylactic shock. (This is a "typical" form of the "allergy" known to all)
- Type II, or cytotoxic reaction , is a process involving immunoglobulins of class G (IgG) or M (IgM). In its course, cell damage occurs. It manifests itself, for example, in urticaria or drug-induced hemolytic anemia.
- Type III, or immune complex reaction . Various factors are involved here, with the main one being IgG
- Type IV is a delayed allergic reaction . Proinflammatory cytokines are also involved in its course.
Type I is called IgE-dependent allergy, types II-IV – IgE-independent.
Allergies are on the rise…
In the literature, there is a concept of an "allergic march" related to the variability of allergies throughout life. In children and infants, AD (atopic dermatitis) is much more common, while in later years, respiratory disorders manifested by allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. Over the last 2-3 decades, epidemiological studies have documented an increase in the frequency of food allergies, the causes of which have unfortunately not been fully understood, but the "blame" is often placed on the influence of environmental factors that can affect the human genome (epigenetic effects), such as air pollution, exposure to tobacco smoke, or various allergens found in the environment that do not belong to the food group. Another cause may be infection by certain viruses. There are some premises allowing us to assume that climate change also increases the frequency of allergies.
It seems important to emphasize the fact that there are statements in the literature about the lack of justification for "preventive" elimination of certain products and food groups in pregnant women in order to minimize the risk of allergies in the child.
Hypersensitivity used to be defined as food intolerance – it is a reaction of the body in which the immune system is not involved. In this type of reaction, enzymatic reactions play a significant role. The most common of them is lactose intolerance.
The most common problem in differentiating allergies and hypersensitivity is the lack of a clear difference between the symptoms reported by people suffering from one of them. The problem is exacerbated by the possibility of the presence of both allergens and ingredients in the food that the person does not tolerate.
The prevalence of allergens and allergies
The most common allergens found in food are:
- Cow's milk - the incidence is estimated at 2-15%, and milk proteins took the podium in the 1950s. It is assumed that the increase in the incidence of this type of allergy is mainly related to the limitation of breastfeeding of infants. Next to egg whites, they are the most common food that causes allergies in children and infants (in Poland approx. 2.5-3% of children up to 3 years of age), who often acquire tolerance to these products at school and youth age.
- Chicken eggs, with particular emphasis on one of the protein fractions – ovalbumin. Chicken egg protein is responsible for about 90% of allergies in infancy and early childhood.
- Wheat is a food that often causes allergies in the youngest. Bakers are also a group at risk of an increase in the incidence of this type of allergy.
- Rye and barley, which cause "baker's asthma" and "beer allergy."
- Various types of fish, with allergies particularly common to cod, herring, tuna and eel, but also molluscs and crustaceans.
- Soybeans , or rather the protein contained in their grains.
- Proteins from peanuts , which may be the most common cause of death from anaphylactic shock. In the US, peanut allergy affects up to 2% of the child population. Studies conducted in the UK document an increase in the incidence of this type of allergy. 20% of people acquire tolerance to peanuts at preschool or school age. Proteins from other nuts can also cause allergic reactions.
- Tomatoes and celery are products that can be problematic for up to 44% of people suffering from allergies.
- Cinnamon is the spice that is considered to be the most common allergen.
Often, among adults, so-called allergic cross-reactions occur, which most often occur with the co-occurrence of exposure to food and plant pollen. Currently, a huge number of products are mentioned as being associated with the occurrence of food allergies. It is estimated that these are about 70-160 different types of foods and additives used in the food industry.
Polish studies called "Epidemiology of Allergic Diseases in Poland" from 2006-2008, covering 20,454 people of different ages, documented the occurrence of allergies in 13% of people in the age group 0-5 years (according to other sources, allergies occur in 5-8% of children). In the group of adults (age range 20-44 years), this frequency was significantly lower and amounted to 5% (according to other sources, the frequency in the general population is 1-5%). At the same time, when analyzing meta-analyses, one can encounter information (strictly concerning food allergies) indicating that discomfort after consuming food occurs in up to 13% of the adult population. At the same time, long-term observations (2-22 years of age) of children allowed for documenting a higher risk of developing inhalant allergy in people suffering from food allergies before the age of 2. what seems to be important for athletes in the context of physical performance – a strong relationship seems to be with egg protein allergy.
Should you exclude allergens and follow an elimination diet?
In the case of people suffering from an overactive immune system, the discussion on this topic seems pointless. People who are allergic to a specific allergen should avoid it – both in the context of food and other types of allergies. But what about people who suspect they are at greater risk of developing an allergy or want to act “preventively”, i.e. quite a wide group of supporters of elimination diets used “in advance”?
In the light of current scientific reports and the positions of expert groups, the use of an elimination diet to prevent the development of allergies and intolerances is not supported.
In short - if your body tolerates a given food correctly - do not eliminate it. If you do not suffer from crampy abdominal pain, do not have diarrhea and skin symptoms or respiratory symptoms - do not eliminate foods without reason. But what if your digestive system makes itself known? The basis should be to analyze whether you are really choosing fresh products, preparing them with attention to hygiene rules, and whether the heat treatment is carried out for a sufficiently long time/at the appropriate temperature. If all these aspects are maintained - it would be worth taking steps to diagnose the body's abnormal reactions, but do not do it using discussion groups, but go to a specialist. Only when you know which products are really harmful to your body - take steps to eliminate them from the diet. Otherwise, you may limit your diet without any reason, limit the range of products and make your life more difficult (or increase the costs of nutrition), and in the case of e.g. milk and dairy products - limiting the consumption of lactose without proper justification - may result in a (REAL!) deterioration of its tolerance and the development of abdominal pain and diarrhea after exposure to its consumption.
Literature:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f51f/8afb9adbecebd6996579109587c9721500b9.pdf
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-008-0013-z
https://www.mp.pl/pacjent/alergie/chorobyalergiczne/allergeny/pokarmowe/57685,alergeny-pokarmowe
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2353385416300369#bib0400
http://www.kwadryga.pl/upload/Dokumenty/Artykuly_naukowe/Gf_3_09_32-34.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17628647
