Which Food Allergies Are Most Common?
If you aren’t dealing with allergies yourself, you likely know someone who is. Allergies are reactions in your immune system to something that doesn’t typically bother other people, such as pollen, foods, or pet dander.
Many people don’t understand where food allergies come from and how they can affect the body. In this article, we will look at the science behind allergies and answer some of your most frequently asked questions, starting with the most common food allergies.
Most Common Food Allergies
Food allergies affect about 5% of adults and 8% of children. Some allergies, like soy and peanuts, are common enough that manufacturers are required to print warning labels for products with those foods. Here are the other most common food allergies:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Soy
- Wheat
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Fish and shellfish
Children usually outgrow milk and egg allergies, but peanut and tree nut allergies persist into adulthood. Genetics play a role in allergy development, which can also be influenced by low vitamin D, unhealthy dietary fat, and the timing of exposure to the allergen.
Why Food Allergies Happen
Food allergies result from the body’s immune system, which is responsible for protecting you against germs, viruses, and dangerous substances. The immune system activates when something enters the body that it doesn’t recognize or finds dangerous.
Food allergies develop when the immune system mistakes a specific food protein as a threat and sends antibodies to fight it. The antibodies react to the food, which causes an allergic reaction.
Food allergies shouldn’t be confused with food intolerance, which involves the digestive system rather than the immune system. Intolerance to lactose and gluten stems from the digestive system’s inability to process certain foods. Thus, it isn’t considered an allergy.
How Allergies Affect the Body
Allergy reactions range from mild to severe. Skin reactions are the most common form of allergy reactions and can include hives, swelling, rashes, itchiness, and redness.
Food allergies often cause different reactions than pollen or medicine allergies. Besides skin reactions, food allergies can cause:
- Vomiting
- Swelling in the tongue, lips, face, and throat
- Stomach cramps
- Loss of breath
- Diarrhea
Children with a family history of asthma or allergies may be at higher risk of allergies. The best way to treat an allergy is to avoid the allergen, although that might not always be possible. Some medications can help people manage the symptoms and prevent severe side effects.
Why Food Allergies Develop Later in Life
Allergies can emerge at any point in someone’s life, though most are first present during childhood. A person’s first exposure to an allergen may not immediately result in noticeable symptoms. After multiple exposures, your immune system can recognize and remember the allergen, allowing it to react more quickly and effectively. This reaction will cause symptoms to show and can occur in childhood or later in adulthood.
Allergy Tests
You don’t have to wait for noticeable symptoms to find out if you have allergies. Doctors can test you for allergies using an allergy panel or a blood test for food allergies.
For an allergy panel test, a doctor will put the suspected allergen on your skin and then prick or scratch the area. Symptoms of an allergic reaction will confirm whether you are allergic to touching or eating the substance
Blood tests measure your immune system’s response to a specific food by measuring the levels of antibodies related to allergies. A doctor will take a blood sample and send it to a medical lab for testing with multiple potential allergens.
Are Food Allergies Increasing?
Self-reported numbers are hard to trust because many people mistakenly assume they have a food allergy. This can come, in part, from a misunderstanding of the difference between food intolerance and allergies. Still, there’s no debate that the rate of allergies continues to climb. In 1980, around 3% of the population worldwide had allergies. That number has jumped to 7% today and continues to rise.
The range of allergens is also increasing. People are allergic to more types of food than before, which contributes to the rising allergy rate.
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