Food allergy is a disease that is more common than meets the eye. According to the World Health Organization for 2020, 30% of people worldwide are living with allergies. One in three suffers from allergic rhinitis, and one in ten suffers from bronchial asthma.
What is the danger if this is just a short-term reaction of the body to food? Stanislav Korshunov, a nutritionist, a member of the Public Association “Nutritionologists of Russia”, helped us to understand this and other myths about such a disease.
According to the “tradition”, allergies are considered a frivolous problem. People who are sensitive to various allergens often self-medicate, and in general, not much attention is paid to this disease.
The opinion that allergy is a “so-so” disease contradicts reality. In fact, reactions to food allergens can be unpredictable and life-threatening. Itching, runny nose, mild skin irritation are not all allergy symptoms. The consequences of the body’s reaction to an irritant can be much more dangerous: for example, difficulty breathing, various edema, loss of consciousness, or even more severe manifestations of the disease – anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock.
Another myth says that food allergy is a reaction to certain foods, the list of which is small; therefore, some food is not capable of causing pathological manifestations of the body.
In fact, more than 160 foods can trigger the development of the disease. In addition, allergies can occur at any age.
However, there are the “big eight” foods that are most commonly associated with allergic reactions: milk, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts, soybeans, peanuts and wheat.
The expert noted another erroneous opinion. Some people believe that a small amount of food containing an allergen is safe, because it will not be enough to cause harm to the body. However, people with this disease should eliminate the allergen from their diet so as not to put themselves in danger.
Food allergies and food intolerances are sometimes equated, and this is another misconception.
Food allergy is a pathological reaction of the body caused by a particular food product. It is based on immune mechanisms.
And food intolerance is not an immune response to food intake. Intolerance to lactose, gluten, some medicinal components, and so on are not allergic manifestations.
The expert spoke about the peculiarities of the diet for patients with allergies, as well as about the specialized nutrition that specialists can prescribe to such patients.
“The main principle of diet therapy for food allergies is the elimination of causal allergens. When compiling a hypoallergenic diet, it is necessary to take into account the presence of cross-sensitivity, and a hypoallergenic diet must fully satisfy the body’s need for energy and macronutrients. ”
Stanislav explained what specialized nutrition exists for patients with food allergies, and gave examples of some special products. These are preventive products based on partial protein hydrolysis (Nutrilon Hypoallergenic, Nutrilak Hypoallergenic, HIPP GA, Humana GA, Frisolak GA, NAN GA, etc.); products based on complete protein hydrolysis – whey (Alfare, Nutrilon Pepti Gastro, Nutrilon Pepti Allergy, Peptamen, Peptamen Junior, etc.) and casein (Frisopep AS, Similak Alimentum, etc.). This list also includes specialized amino acid-based nutrition (Nutrilon AK, Neocate Junior, Neocate LCP, Alfare Amino, Similak Ele Care, etc.).
You can watch the expert’s presentation on this topic here.
The material was prepared by Alexandra Goryunova