Food Allergies

Despite concerns about food allergies, health professionals are worried foods are being targeted for ailments they did not cause, and frequently blamed for crimes they did not commit.

One-quarter to one-third of Americans believe they or their children have a food allergy, though diagnosed rates are one-fifth that total. Studies show 6%-8% of children under 3 are allergic to at least one food, but that once they grow up, that number falls to 3%-4%. Approximately 12MM people in the U.S. have such allergies, with the U.K. the leader in Europe.

The usual suspects— milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and tree nuts— make up 90% of food allergies. The most-common non-food allergies are from pollen, penicillin, and bee stings, but whether food or non-food, the reaction is the same because of the antibody IgE (Immunoglobulin E) which is supposed to fight foreign substances entering the body. IgE causes histamines to be released, which (along with other chemicals intended to protect us) can cause symptoms ranging from itchy eyes and mouth all the way to hives, wheezing, a swollen tongue, rashes, nausea and diarrhea. In the worst instances, anaphylaxis sets in, shutting off the airway and leading to a calamitous drop in blood pressure.

Even with physicians questioning the extent of real food allergies, the reactions blamed on them have been increasing. Informal estimates show peanut allergies have doubled in the last decade, and celiac disease (an allergy to wheat gluten) is now 4x more prevalent than 50 years ago. Fortunately, a blood test and an intestinal biopsy can settle the matter. One problem for diagnosing food allergies is the tests are inaccurate. The best test is also the most-dangerous: called a “food challenge,” it has the patient ingest controlled amounts of the suspected offending food in greater and greater amounts.

The fall-back method is blood testing, often leading to misdiagnosis: one recent study showed up to 90% of the suspected allergies in a group of 125 4 year-olds were negative when food challenges and not blood tests were used. An older 1987 study following 500 kids up to their 3rd birthday found only 8% had real allergies, despite 28% of parents thinking their kids did. Some who think they have an allergy may simply be sensitive to certain foods. Lactose intolerance, caused by too little of the enzyme the body employs to digest milk proteins, affects 50MM Americans. Simply avoiding dairy or eating dairy products with the enzyme lactase solve the problem.

Even wheat gluten is a challenge for most stomachs, so the occasional upset may trigger the belief one has celiac disease. Avoiding gluten, food dyes or MSG isn’t harmful; giving up whole food groups over a self-diagnosis spawned by feelings of discomfort can be, especially when it leads to parents blocking certain foods from their children. And even avoiding gluten is challenging, since it’s in processed meats, medications, and even used to dust frozen vegetables to prevent freezer burn.

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