Food allergies and what really causes them


Studies have shown that the start of food allergies is primarily a result of nature and nurture - genetics and environment:

You're genetically prone to some kind of allergic condition. Contact with a bit of the food sensitizes your immune system towards the food. Your immune system produces antibodies to fight the meals the next time it enters your system. Upon your first exposure, you might not experience symptoms; your immune system is simply preparing for the next time.

You take in the issue food again, and your immune system, now sensitized towards the allergen, leaps into action to get rid of the allergen from your system. Food allergies typically show themselves in the first couple of months or many years of life, and food allergy sufferers often outgrow their allergies by the time they're teenagers. Some food allergies, however, for example allergies to seafood appear later in life and rarely disappear with time.

When individuals get sick, they naturally attempt to blame someone or something like that for his or her illness. They would like to point fingers in the individual who "gave me this cold" or blame their chronic headaches on "work-related stress." In the case of food allergies, there's lots of blame for everyone.

Genetics

Allergies run in families, although not since you may think. If one family member is allergic to milk, another might be allergic to peanut or develop asthma. If one or both mom and dad have hay fever or asthma, their kids might have hay fever, asthma, a food allergy, a mixture of the three, or no allergy whatsoever. In short, if any allergic condition exists in a family member, other family members are more prone to developing an allergic condition, certainly not a food allergy.

Allergens

When you are allergic to particular food, you might be lured to blame the meals - "I like peanuts, but peanuts can't stand me." However the food is only partially at fault. Foods that commonly spark allergy symptoms, for example peanuts, eggs, milk, fish, and wheat, have uniquely structured protein molecules in them that make them a more identifiable target for your immune system. How your immune system responds to people proteins determines whether you have a hypersensitive reaction.

Currently, the very best treating food allergies will be to steer clear of the problem foods (to avoid reactions) and then relieve symptoms when reactions do occur. Researchers are searching for methods to train the immune system to not overreact.

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Note: This article was sent to us by: Tyler Brooks at 10182011

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