Tuesday 18 October 2011

Information On Common Food Allergies

Food allergies are very common among both children and adults. In recent years, food allergies have become increasingly common for many unknown reasons. Because of this, more and more information is becoming available on food allergies. Less and less people are having severe allergic reactions because testing is improving and people are being diagnosed before having a severe, even fatal, reaction. Even baby food allergies are being diagnosed as a way to keep children from getting sick at a young age.
General Information On Food Allergies
A food allergy is when someone has an allergic reaction to any type of food. These allergies can occur when a person inhales, eats, or even simply comes in contact with the food or food additive. In fact, tiny amounts can cause severely sensitive individuals to have an allergic reaction. Such allergic reactions can range from the very mild to the extreme and life threatening.
In the past decade, allergic reactions to food have increased exponentially. More and more adults and children are being diagnosed with peanut and tree nut allergies, fueling extensive research in the area of food allergies and treatments.
Common Food Allergy Information
Adults and children have different food allergies that are the most common food allergies for the demographic. For children, there is a relatively large list of common food allergies. The most common food allergies in children are cow’s milk, chicken eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans, and wheat. These are all items that are found in almost everyone’s natural diet, and it can be very difficult to completely rid the diet of one or more of these items. Thankfully, due to the increase in these common food allergies, substitute foods are readily available.
In adults, the list of most common food allergies is slightly different. Adults are most commonly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, much like children. However, other common food allergies include fish, shrimp, crabs, lobsters and other crustaceans, clams, oysters, mussels and other mollusks, fruits, and vegetables.
The severity of these common food allergies varies. For children, the most likely foods to cause severe reactions that are on the common food allergy list are peanuts, cow milk, chicken eggs, and tree nuts. Other items that are more uncommon but cause severe anaphylaxis reactions are vegetables, shellfish, and fish. In adults, the foods that are the most likely to cause severe reactions are peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.
If you think you may have any one or more of these common food allergies, contact your doctor for further testing and information.

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