Cholesterol Humans need cholesterol, which amongst other things is an important component of cell membranes. High blood cholesterol has become a problem for many people and can lead to a variety of health problems such as coronary heart disease. Most animal meat, eggs and shellfish are comparatively high in cholesterol and have therefore in the past received a lot of negative publicity. The human body produces cholesterol from saturated fats and evidence has shown that dietary cholesterol does not necessarily become cholesterol in the blood. The cause of high blood cholesterol is in other words not a diet high in cholesterol but a diet high in saturated fats, which the body itself then turns into cholesterol in the blood.
Shellfish are very low in fat.
It is therefore crucial that people who believe they have a food allergy get confirmatory diagnostic tests done so the right food is avoided in the future. The causative agents called allergens are normally glycoproteins. The only treatment for seafood allergies is avoidance of the known food which induces the symptoms. It should be noted that certain seafood allergies in children have been shown to diminish with age. An emergence of an allergic response to one species of shellfish can sometimes mean that other species of shellfish will also cause an allergic reaction.