Allergies To Certain Types Of Food

By Charlie Monaghan Carter

Food allergies are quite common in adults and children, perhaps more so in children but there are plenty of adults with allergies. An allergy in the broadest sense refers to a bad reaction that the body might have to anything; however food allergies are (obviously) bad reactions to foodstuffs. The most common food allergies in children are milk, peanuts and eggs and in adults it is fish, eggs, peanuts, shellfish and fish.

People can have all kinds of reactions to foods that they are allergic to, ranging from nausea and sickness to swelling throats and rashes and everything in between. However, there are some cases where if left untreated for too long, nothing can be done, and the allergy results in death.

The most common food allergies that we hear about are that of dairy products, eggs, peanuts, tree nut, seafood, shellfish, wheat and soy. In the world of allergy study these are known as the "big eight" as they are the most common. However, the allergens in these foods (as with any food) differ from country to country because of the different conditions in which they are nurtured.

The most common method of testing whether or not a person has an allergy to a given foodstuff is a skin prick test. Another common test to determine this is a full blood test.

When someone is having a serious allergic reaction the best thing to give them is epinephrine applied with an auto-injector which helps them to overcome their systemic reaction. However, unfortunately there is no long term cure for food allergies, or normal ones; the only way to avoid having the reaction is to avoid eating the food itself. It has been scientifically discovered that people who already suffer from a disease of some kind are more prone to developing allergies. - 32378

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