Several factors, including maternal diet, the. Physical reactions to certain foods are common, but most are due to a food intolerance rather than a food allergy. A food intolerance can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as a food allergy, so people often confuse the two. To confirm a food allergy and avoid unnecessary dietary restrictions, a diagnosis must be made by a doctor.
You should not diagnose yourself or your child with a food allergy. The only way to prevent a food allergic reaction is to completely avoid the food and any products that may contain it as an ingredient. In some cases, the allergist will recommend an oral food test, which is considered the most accurate way to diagnose a food allergy. During an oral food exposure, which is carried out under strict medical supervision, the patient is given small amounts of the suspected trigger food in increasing doses over a period of time, followed by a few hours of observation to see if a reaction occurs.
This test is useful when the patient's history is unclear or if skin or blood tests are inconclusive. It can also be used to determine if an allergy has been overcome with age. A food allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to a food or substance in a food, identifying it as a hazard and triggering a protective response. Cow's milk proteins (CM) are among the first foods introduced into a baby's diet and, consequently, represent one of the first and most common causes of food allergy in early childhood.
If you have a food intolerance, your doctor may recommend measures to facilitate the digestion of certain foods or to treat the underlying condition that is causing the reaction. Eliminating major foods or food groups from the diet can have negative implications if missing nutrients are not replaced. A food intolerance involves limiting the intake of that food, since it is difficult to digest, but it does not cause an immune response. Because of the possibility of a serious reaction, oral exposure to food should only be done by experienced allergists in a doctor's office or dietary treatment center, with medications and emergency equipment on hand.
If the test is done, it should only be done with the food you have had a reaction to and not with other “common” foods. The cornerstone of nutritional treatment for food allergies is an individualized plan to avoid allergens. In fact, recent research suggests that delaying the introduction of potentially allergenic foods may even increase the risk of food allergy. These eight foods are the most common and account for 90% of allergic food reactions among people in the United States.
Some people don't know how serious food allergies can be and may not understand that even small amounts of a food can be a problem. Recent guidelines for the prevention of food allergies advocate that there is no need to delay the introduction of allergenic foods once weaning has begun. This exclusion from a major food group occurs at a critical time in the development of dietary preferences and dietary habits.
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