Eat, Drink, and Be Merry ... but Allergy Sufferers, Beware
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry ... but Allergy Sufferers, Beware
Dec. 25, 1999 (Atlanta) -- For allergy sufferers, there's no peace on earth during the holiday season. The Food Allergy Medical Board estimates there are as many as 7 million Americans who suffer from food allergies. For them, the festive foods of the season can pose even greater risk than normal. Latex allergy suffers are also vulnerable during the Christmas season.
With allergies, the body defends itself by attacking the invader with histamines and other chemicals. Simply, an allergic reaction is an immune system response to what may seem like a harmless food, usually a protein. A reaction to a food that does not involve the immune system is called a food intolerance or sensitivity. There are more than 170 foods that can cause an allergic reaction. The most common and severe food allergies are caused by milk, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.
Latex can be found in more than 40,000 products and is becoming a growing allergy hazard. Balloons, plastic toys, artificial Christmas trees and ornaments, and arts and crafts supplies are all potential sources of latex. Like with food allergies, the simplest way to avoid an allergic reaction to latex is avoidance.
According to N. Franklin Adkinson Jr., MD, the most common food allergy during the holidays is to nuts, especially peanuts. The real danger for peanut allergy sufferers, according to Adkinson, is accidental consumption of peanut products. It's one thing to avoid peanuts passed around in a bowl, he notes, but peanuts may also lurk in gravies and soups. Adkinson is a professor of clinical immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Steve L. Taylor, PhD, says when in doubt, pass it up. "The only successful method of managing food allergies at the present time is the specific avoidance diet," says Taylor during a presentation at the Ninth International Food Allergy Symposium in San Diego. "Many food-allergic individuals continue to experience occasional adverse reactions despite their best efforts because residues of allergenic foods can be hidden in other food products. These residues, while often not present in high concentrations, can trigger allergic reactions, especially in highly sensitive individuals." Taylor is a professor and head of the department of food science and technology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry ... but Allergy Sufferers, Beware
Dec. 25, 1999 (Atlanta) -- For allergy sufferers, there's no peace on earth during the holiday season. The Food Allergy Medical Board estimates there are as many as 7 million Americans who suffer from food allergies. For them, the festive foods of the season can pose even greater risk than normal. Latex allergy suffers are also vulnerable during the Christmas season.
With allergies, the body defends itself by attacking the invader with histamines and other chemicals. Simply, an allergic reaction is an immune system response to what may seem like a harmless food, usually a protein. A reaction to a food that does not involve the immune system is called a food intolerance or sensitivity. There are more than 170 foods that can cause an allergic reaction. The most common and severe food allergies are caused by milk, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.
Latex can be found in more than 40,000 products and is becoming a growing allergy hazard. Balloons, plastic toys, artificial Christmas trees and ornaments, and arts and crafts supplies are all potential sources of latex. Like with food allergies, the simplest way to avoid an allergic reaction to latex is avoidance.
According to N. Franklin Adkinson Jr., MD, the most common food allergy during the holidays is to nuts, especially peanuts. The real danger for peanut allergy sufferers, according to Adkinson, is accidental consumption of peanut products. It's one thing to avoid peanuts passed around in a bowl, he notes, but peanuts may also lurk in gravies and soups. Adkinson is a professor of clinical immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Steve L. Taylor, PhD, says when in doubt, pass it up. "The only successful method of managing food allergies at the present time is the specific avoidance diet," says Taylor during a presentation at the Ninth International Food Allergy Symposium in San Diego. "Many food-allergic individuals continue to experience occasional adverse reactions despite their best efforts because residues of allergenic foods can be hidden in other food products. These residues, while often not present in high concentrations, can trigger allergic reactions, especially in highly sensitive individuals." Taylor is a professor and head of the department of food science and technology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
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