Nutrition and good health
Did you know that...?
- A person, whose both parents have allergies, risk, in a
proportion of 50 to 70%, to suffer of allergies too? This
risk decreases to 30 to 50% if only one parent has
allergies and to 13% if no family predisposition.
- A food allergy is the result of the immune system’s mistakenly
identifying a food item, ingredient or additive as harmful and
creating specific antibodies to it. The next time the individual
eats that food, the immune system releases chemicals that trigger
the allergic reaction.
- A food allergy is not the same thing as a food intolerance,
which does not involve the immune system but can produce a reaction
such as gas, bloating and abdominal cramps.
- Allergic symptoms vary depending on the individual and range
from hives to difficulty breathing, gastrointestinal problems or
even anaphylactic shock, an often severe and sometimes fatal
systemic reaction.
- Allergic symptoms can occur immediately upon ingestion of the
food, a few minutes or a few hours later.