A food allergy is caused when the body’s immune system triggers off an abnormal reaction to a specific sort of food. The human body generally develops a high level of tolerance to food to be able to survive. A food allergy may occur in various intensities which range from mild reactions to people that can even be life threatening. It shouldn’t be confused with food poisoning.
Food allergy
A food allergy is also termed as food hypersensitivity since it’s caused when the immune system identifies the food that is eaten as being detrimental to the human body and so triggers off an allergic response. The job of the immune system is to produce food-specific antibodies to protect the body. These antibodies are actually proteins that fight the harmful antigens and attempt to destroy them or reduce their effectiveness. Allergens are the foods that activate the damaging reaction.
Whenever this specific allergen is ingested by someone who’s sensitive to it, the immune system releases large quantities of chemicals and histamines to protect the body against the allergen. The resulting allergic reaction can affect the digestive tract, the respiratory tract, skin and sometimes even the cardiovascular system.
Antibodies
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are made by the immune system as a defense against ingested allergens. These are generated when the man is exposed to the allergen and these antibodies attach themselves to particular cells in cells within the body, particularly in regions such as the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs, the nose, the throat and skin. The next time the individual eats the food with this specific allergen a response occurs as the body releases histamines and compounds that are situated in the body’s cells. Symptoms like inflammation occur.
Final note
The sort of allergic reaction is dependent upon which part of the body the compounds are released. A response in the gastro intestinal tract may lead to stomach cramps or nausea. If the reaction occurs in the ears, nose or throat the individual can confront breathing problems or sneezing. If it affects the cells on the skin it could lead to hives. There may be itching, redness and inflammation. Medications which block the release of histamines are utilised to deal with IgE allergies.
On the other hand, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies offer a long-term resistance to disease. These antibodies help fight bacterial and viral infections. The most important source of IgG food allergies are issues in the digestive tract. Most food allergies are IgG in character. Complete removal of the issue food from the diet can improve the condition of the individual. The IgG mediated allergies have been categorized as Type-III allergic reactions. These antibodies don’t release histamines and the symptoms of this allergy are postponed. Sometimes the reactions happen even 72 hours after exposure to the antigen. IgG mediated allergies don’t have much in common with allergies and this is a subject for debate in the medical community. Both the IgG and the IgE antibodies help fight against invading pathogens.