Food Allergies Explained: Here's Why Some People Are Allergic to Some Foods

(Photo : Pixabay / Cuoleur)

For people who have food allergies, their immune system could react to some food proteins like they are pathogens that are harmful.

While there are several possible food allergies, some of these foods are more common compared to others.

Food Allergies

Symptoms of food allergies could be mild to severe and may affect individuals differently. Not everyone may experience all potential symptoms, and reactions could slightly differ from one another.

The usual signs and symptoms of food allergies include facial swelling, mouth tingling, burning sensation in the mouth and lips, hives, wheezing, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or streaming eyes.

A severe, systemic, and life-threatening allergic reaction is known as anaphylaxis. It typically happens briefly post-exposure to a certain allergen. However, it may also take a couple of hours for it to develop.

The symptoms and signs of anaphylaxis typically worsen fast. These could include a rapid blood pressure fall, nausea, a tickly and itchy throat, fear, respiratory issues, sneezing, skin itchiness, streaming in the eyes and nose, vomiting, tachycardia, rapid swelling of the mouth, face, lips, and throat, and loss of consciousness.

Roughly 8% of children in the US are affected by food allergies, making it a growing public health and food safety concern.

ALSO READ: Can Adults Still Develop Food Allergies? Here's What the Expert Says

Why Some People Have Food Allergies

For individuals with food allergies, their immune system handles a certain food protein as if it were a disease-causing harmful substance. The immune system then responds by introducing antibodies of IgE that could play pivotal roles in attacking the protein.

When the person consumes the food once more, the antibodies are ready to attack. Hence, the immune system immediately reacts by expelling histamine and other substances to the bloodstreams. These chemicals lead to food allergy symptoms.

Histamine leads to the expansion of the blood vessels and the swelling or inflammation of the skin. It may also impact the nerves, causing itchiness in the skin.

The nose could also end up producing more mucus, leading to burning, itching, and streaming in the nose.

As for risk, there are some factors that could increase the likelihood of a food allergy developing. These factors include family history, other allergic conditions, gut bacteria, and early experiences.

Since food allergies do not have any cure, strictly avoiding the allergen is the only way for an allergic reaction to be prevented.

Food Allergens

As for the most common allergenic foods, they typically account for roughly 90% of all the food allergies. They are also typically referred to as the "big eight allergens."

These foods are fish, eggs, milk, peanuts or groundnuts, nuts from trees, soybeans, shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster), and wheat.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the most common allergens among children are peanuts, eggs, and milk.

They said that generally, children outgrow allergies to egg, milk, wheat, and soy. Up to 25% of children could also end up outgrowing a peanut allergy.

For European countries, other top allergens include celery, sesame, lupin (a type of legume), and mustard.