WHAT IS FOOD ALLERGY?
- A true allergy is a reproducible reaction to a food, that has an immunological basis
The term 'Allergy' is derived from the Greek, 'allon argon', which means 'to react differently' (which is what happens when people are allergic).
Food allergy is an over-reaction of the body's immune system to a specific component in a food, usually the protein component, whereby a natural, normally harmless and tolerated food is perceived as a dangerous invader and induces an over-reaction.
In most individuals, the immune system in the digestive tract fights against harmful organisms, while recognising that foods are harmless. This ability to differentiate is an expression of oral tolerance to foods.
In a minority of people, the finely balanced mechanism does not work optimally.
Their immune defences over-respond, resulting in sensitisation and ultimately, with repeated exposure, a development of an allergy to the food in question.
The symptoms range from gastrointestinal (e.g. diarrhoea and vomiting) and dermatological (eczema and urticaria) to respiratory (e.g. asthma and rhinitis) symptoms.
