The immune system of people with food allergies reacts abnormally to certain foods. When this happens histamines are released causing the allergic symptoms. Symptoms of food allergies include itching and swelling in various parts of the body, hives, wheezing and difficulty breathing, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The most serious symptoms are inability to breathe, loss of consciousness, and death. The most common foods that trigger a food allergy are eggs, peanuts, fish and shellfish, milk, and soy.
Children are more prone to food allergies than adults.
There is a difference between food allergies and food intolerance. An example of food intolerance is lactose intolerance where the problem is a lack of an enzyme not an abnormal immune system. Treatment is avoidance of the foods that cause the allergy. Thus far there are not any medications that prevent the allergies from taking place, although there are medications that treat the symptoms. All Rights Reserved.