Further to my post of earlier this month regarding Adult Onset of Food Allergies, I wanted to pass on some information I recently discovered -- definitely worth looking into if you're wondering, as I am, what may be causing adults to suddenly develop food allergies.
In the Spring 2011 issue of Allergic Living Magazine, on pages 15 & 16 within the section titled "The Food Allergy Experts", Dr. Scott Sicherer (Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York) tells a reader some of the current theories about why adults are experiencing food allergies they didn't when they were children:
1) Allergy to proteins in the air which are similar to proteins in certain foods may contribute to developing food allergy -- for example, proteins in birch pollen are similar to the proteins of foods in the same family as apples and pears (Pomoideae, a sub-family of the Rose Family).
2) Environmental exposure to a food or food protein, even if not ingested, may increase risk of allergy to that food/protein (peanuts are the example given).
3) Changes in digestion, such as taking antacids, may lead to increased risk of food allergy (the theory is that lack of stomach acid reduces digestion and allows proteins to pass intact to the immune system).
4) An imbalance in the immune system caused, for example, by a severe viral illness, may lead the body to attack proteins it formerly considered benign.
This list is by no means exhaustive nor definitive, and Dr. Sicherer emphasizes the importance of talking with a board-certified allergist about your specific case. The bottom line is that no one has yet sufficiently pinned down the cause(s) of food allergies in adults or children, but every day our knowledge is increasing -- a heartening thought for the times when our hope of relief seems to dwindle.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Indian Ingredients in the Food Allergy Treasure Chest
I am pleased to have recently published my first article as a contributing writer to the Suite101.com Online Magazine.
Of course it's an article on one of my favorite subjects: finding ingredient alternatives when your "safe foods" list is limited by multiple food allergies (especially those beyond the "Top 8"). This is the first of several articles I'll be writing about how ethnic markets can be a fantastic boon for eliminating monotony from meals.
Feel free to check it out at:
http://www.suite101.com/content/indian-ingredients-in-the-food-allergy-treasure-chest-a366570
Of course it's an article on one of my favorite subjects: finding ingredient alternatives when your "safe foods" list is limited by multiple food allergies (especially those beyond the "Top 8"). This is the first of several articles I'll be writing about how ethnic markets can be a fantastic boon for eliminating monotony from meals.
Feel free to check it out at:
http://www.suite101.com/content/indian-ingredients-in-the-food-allergy-treasure-chest-a366570
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| Indian vegetable market (Credit: babasteve) |
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
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