Fallacy:
Everybody has an allergy to certain foods.
Fact:
Most of us believe that we have some kind of allergy to certain foods. But real foods allergies are rare. Most of what we think as allergies are really food intolerances that have little or nothing to do with the immune system. People sometimes mistake food intolerances for allergy, because both have the same symptoms.
A food allergy is defined as an overreaction of the body’s immune system, which includes the white blood cells, lymph tissues, thymus gland, and bone marrow. Substances, usually proteins, trigger the immune system of someone with allergy to release antibodies. These antibodies fight the unwanted proteins. Their immune systems release chemicals such as histamine that irritate body tissue. The most commonly affected tissues are the gastrointestinal tract, skin and respiratory system.
Otherwise, food intolerances are reactions to food that are not related to the immune system. It is difficult to know when a physical problem is a result of food allergy or simply intolerance. Consult a physician if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms.
(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, August. 1991)
Everybody has an allergy to certain foods.
Fact:
Most of us believe that we have some kind of allergy to certain foods. But real foods allergies are rare. Most of what we think as allergies are really food intolerances that have little or nothing to do with the immune system. People sometimes mistake food intolerances for allergy, because both have the same symptoms.
A food allergy is defined as an overreaction of the body’s immune system, which includes the white blood cells, lymph tissues, thymus gland, and bone marrow. Substances, usually proteins, trigger the immune system of someone with allergy to release antibodies. These antibodies fight the unwanted proteins. Their immune systems release chemicals such as histamine that irritate body tissue. The most commonly affected tissues are the gastrointestinal tract, skin and respiratory system.
Otherwise, food intolerances are reactions to food that are not related to the immune system. It is difficult to know when a physical problem is a result of food allergy or simply intolerance. Consult a physician if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms.
(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, August. 1991)
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