Does Your Kid Really Have A Food Allergy?
During the last decade, the rate of food allergies in children has risen by 18 percent - with three million American kids estimated to have a food allergy. The New York Times suggests that a move away from skin testing and "food challenge" tests (where a doctor measures a child's reaction to particular foods) is to blame:
The culprit appears to be the widespread use of simple blood tests for antibodies that could signal a reaction to food. ... While the blood tests can help doctors identify potentially risky foods, they aren't always reliable.
A number of recent reports and studies have indicated that these blood tests often show a false positive - leading to a child being diagnosed with an allergy which they don't have. This is particularly likely when children do have at least one allergy, as similar foods may show up on the blood test, despite the child being able to eat them without any adverse effects:
A child who is allergic to peanuts, for instance, might test positive for allergies to soy, green beans, peas and kidney beans. Children with milk allergies may test positive for beef allergy.
Although very severe food allergies can be fatal, misdiagnosises of allergies could be causing more harm than good. The New York Times report cites the case of a woman with children whose allergist had banned so many foods that it was becoming a real struggle to feed them nutritious meals. Thorough testing revealed that her two younger children were not allergic to wheat, and:
Her 2-year-old son, who had been living on a diet primarily of potatoes, fruit and hypoallergenic formula, has resumed eating wheat, bananas, beef, peas, rice and corn.
So what should you do if your child does have a suspected allergy? Dr Fleischer, a professor of pediatrics, told the New York Times that parents should:
- Consider whether the child has tolerated a particular food in the past
- Seek advice from an experienced allergist who supervises food challenge testing, rather than just relying on blood test results
- Have children retested periodically, as many allergies are outgrown. This particularly applies to milk, eggs, soy and wheat.
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Very interesting article Ali. I think some of this falls into the fear mongering that goes on in the media and even in some alternative nutritional practices.
I often have clients who tell me they have a long list of food allergies and I've learned to ask where they had their testing done.
Quite often their test was done at a health food store. In their words,
"They hooked me up to a thingy and it printed out my list of allergies and sensitivities"
ReplyThere have been several recent articles on misdiagnosed food allergy. What these articles fail to miss is that there is a stark difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. Food allergies, while on the rise, are still a very small percentage of the population. Food allergies are IgE immune antibody reactions to food, which are often severe. However, food intolerance reactions, IgG, are much more subtle and cumulative in creating chronic health issues. Gluten is an example of an intolerance, which, if not diagnosed, can cause an array of devastating health issues. There are many food intolerances that can be discovered through antibody blood testing or simple food challenge. When most Americans live on dairy, wheat, soy, corn, and eggs, is it a surprise that many more of us are reacting negatively to these foodstuffs?
ReplyKids are learning as well - when I told my 5-year old niece to eat up all her vegtables, she countered with, "I'm allergic to broccoli." :)
ReplyI would recommend Dr. Hyman's (of Ultra-Metabolism fame) Ultra-Simple Diet to help identify food allergies by using elimination then reintroducing foods one at a time.
He also recommends saliva tests for Gluten and Dairy sensitivity/allergies, which are more reliable than blood tests. Although the best approach is the elimination approach described in his book.
ReplyI had headaches as a kid, went to allergist, turns out I was allergic to grass, strawberries, milk, everything under the sun. Since I sat on grass and ate strawberries all the time, I completely ignored all of it.
ReplyMy mom had my sis and I tested for food allergies by a holistic healing doctor when we were kids and I think it involved some sort of crystals or something. She told my mom that I was sensitive to wheat and that my sister was allergic to peanuts, red food dyes, and strawberries. I don't recall that my mom ever stopped feeding those foods to us though, so the reaction must not have been very severe.
My aunt's friend has a little boy who was really allergic to soy, wheat, corn, eggs, and dairy when he was little, but as he got older, he outgrew most of them. I think they figured out that he outgrew them by having him retested every year at his allergist, which definitely made feeding him easier.
ReplyThis is interesting for a couple of reasons - first of all one of my kids has friends who have long lists of allergies and it gets to the point that I'd almost rather he avoided inviting those kids over. I've been told by the parents that the kids "are allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts as well" but have never actually had a reaction -- and I've always been a little sceptical. What would their motivation have been for testing in the first place then? (I'm allergic to wasps and my motivation for getting testing was when I puffed up like a balloon and was covered in hives.) One of these kids is also apparently allergic to latex and follows me around asking if there's nuts or latex in this or that or the other thing, so finally I told him that I did my best to avoid obvious things - I won't feed him peanut butter or hand him a latex balloon - but that he is 12, not 3, and it should now be HIS responsibility to have a good sense of what he should avoid and what he shouldn't. I think these kids need to be taught to take responsibility for their allergies and what to avoid - for the same reason that I don't stand in someone's garden and get mad at them because there are wasps in their flower beds!
The other reason I'm interested is because we have aquired, by default, a young cocker spaniel and this little gal seems to have lots of problems with things like itchy skin, ears, and runny eyes. Skin biopsies we took told us that she had food and airborne allergies. Tomorrow I'm taking her in for blood tests to help figure out what these allergies are. The vet's assured me they get quite accurate results from the blood tests but now I'm wondering if we will get good information from these.
(ps anyone want a slightly itchy but lovable cocker?!)
ReplyWith celiac disease, I've found it's easier to just say I'm deathly allergic to wheat, rye, barley, gluten, etc. and that I will get violently ill if I eat it. This is pretty much the only way to make people understand that sneaking the crap in my food isn't going to be very good for me. Plus, I doubt they want me taking a horrendous dump in their toilet.
Honestly, anyone that doubts the fact that a child or even an adult has an allergy after being told so and feeds them nuts or whatever anyway is a total jerk, loser, dumb@$$, idiot, etc. If the person actually is allergic, they can die.
D-E-A-D
It's as simple as that. I know I wouldn't want the murder of a friend or child hanging over my head.
ReplyIt'd be interesting to find out what role the increase in hormones, pesticides and increasing amounts of GMO food contributes to this trend.
ReplyMost likely none. There was another study about this and the blame is on creating too much of a germ free environment.
ReplyKids don't have the immune system like we use to. We hated washing our hands.
One teacher discovered her kids and her had less illness when she cut down on the hand washing.
The Hypothesis you are referring to is one of many theories actively being studied. It's called the Hygiene Theory and there are several different versions. They are far from providing definitive proof but some are very interesting. Theories that focus on a single household being "too clean" run into too many problems were they find household that are not over "clean" or controlled and still have life threatening food allergies. The ones I find most creditable is more of a multi generational approach to the idea.
Throughout human history we have been exposed to a very vide variety of extremely strong and devastating pathogens in our living environments and foods. As a result we developed strong and aggressive immune systems to protect us and keep us alive. Western "developed" societies have completely altered that in a little over 150-200 years. We have indoor plumbing, clean water supply, effective cleaning supplies, we cook foods more toughly, we alter the immune system with drugs, we have almost completely eliminated pathogens that previously would have wiped out thousands at a time. We keep pushing it farther and harder with all these new products that come out.
The changes to our environments have happened faster than our bodies can adapt. Our immune systems are not sitting back thinking wow less threats lets relax; no they still look for threats and in some people the immune system identifies the proteins in certain foods as a threat boom you have a FOOD ALLERGY.
You see food allergies are not the result of a weaken immune system like other auto immune conditions are the result of an overactive immune system.
ReplyActually, your immune system DOES play a big role in food allergies. If you introduce lots of benign bacteria to your system early on, the body will build antibodies to them. Then, when different foods are introduced into the diet, the immune system doesn't react the same way that it would if the bacteria hadn't been present. That's why a lot of kids do outgrow allergies as their immune systems develop.
There's also a big difference between a true food allergy that will cause anaphylaxis if ingested and just a food sensitivity that makes a person ill. There was a kid in my elementary school that was very allergic to peanuts. If he even had skin contact with a peanut, his skin broke out where the nut had touched it...I really wonder what would have happened if he ever ate one. But some people claim their kid's allergic to say, eggs, when all the eggs would really do would be to make the kid bloated and gassy for a little while.
ReplyI never said that the immune system is not involved in food allergies. What I was discussing is HOW. You and I seem to be talking about the same thing.
Anaphylaxis is caused by an "over reaction of the immune system. The immune system's job is to identify threats to the body and attack them. In a food allergy triggered anaphylaxis the immune system identifies certain proteins as a threat say in a Peanut as a threat and triggers a histamine and antibody attack. Unfortunately what they attack is the body it's self. That is why anaphylaxis is called an Atopic immune condition. Which as you say is very different from an intolerance.
Your right. It's highly dangerous a person could developed anaphylaxis reactions to any food but Peanut allergies are the most common it also tends to be much less predictable. People can go year's experiencing only what they term minor reactions and suddenly are in the middle of a life threatening reaction.
My son's first reactions were so mild that we didn't even identify the trigger until one day he was rushed to the hospital from daycare barely.
Replybreathing
Spectra, you say "But some people claim their kid's allergic to say, eggs, when all the eggs would really do would be to make the kid bloated and gassy for a little while." This can be an allergy, the difference is not in the symptoms but whether the food triggers an immune system response or not. I should know I am 45 and was recently diagnosed with allergies to chocolate, egg, milk, peanut and soy. Now, they are not anaphylactic BUT each one of them can cause chronic sinusitis/rhinitis, congestion, sneezing, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, acne, headaches, tingling all over, severe heartburn with reflux, frequent urination, several other GI issues, and a multitude of other "minor" annoyances. I have been ill for several years with no diagnosis other than “maybe” Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue and have been miserable. I have spent a lot of time and money on tests and prescriptions it seems I may not have needed after all. I have wasted a lot of time not enjoying life because I couldn’t. It kinda stinks when you don't even want to get out of bed in the morning and all you do is work and sleep. I never thought I had food allergies because most of the reactions are delayed. It was a fluke I hit the right doctor to suggest the tests. Do not confuse an allergy with an intolerance simply because the reaction is not life threatening. In fact, my "intolerances" have caused me to need treatment for Esophageal Cancer as my reflux has been unabated by meds for years. When butter noodles without garlic or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich give you heartburn, get allergy tested! I went from just Barrett’s to low grade dysplasia to high grade with possible cancer in a little over 2 years. Since the survival rate for Esophageal Cancer is very low, the treatment needs to be done now.
Don't get me wrong, I agree people should use some semblance of sense when claiming an allergy. The tests are only one part. The doctor should be taking a history, performing the tests then placing the patient on an elimination diet with a rotation challenge to add the suspected allergens back in one at a time. Unless the tests show a severe reaction to begin with, then there is a different path. The doctor actually gives the patient the food in a capsule form while in the office prepared for a bad reaction.
Whew, that was an eyeful. After years of suffering and possibly having cancer due to undiagnosed food allergies, I had to get it off my chest.
C
ReplyRemember when kids had a pile of dirt to sit on and a big friendly dog to share their icecreams lick for lick?
And only one poor pale lumpy kid in the whole school had some sort of strange allergy????
ReplyMy son is an average active three yearold. He loves to be outside enjoys, running climbing swinging sliding. He and his sister play in the sand, make mud pies jump in the puddles. Neither of them are overweight or "lumpy" as you say. We have never used the antibacterial products. We will use some beach in household cleaning. We don't live in a pig style but neither is it a sterile environment. The have eaten balanced healthy diets with a wide variety of foods since early on. Guess what one is peanut allergic the other is not.
Perhaps you should not make such judgmental assumptions about people you don’t know.
Reply2 of my kids have food allergies. the only reason i know about them is when my oldest was 2.5 he ate a peanut M&M and immediately did not feel well, had trouble breathing and broke out in a rash. That is when we had him, as well as my other kids, tested. I cannot for the life of me figure out why any parent would say their kids are allergic if they are not. Food allergies are real and please do not think they are not just because some make it up!
ReplyVery true Rob. My brother has a nut allergy. I say nuts because we've fully experimented (by accident, of course) with walnuts, peanuts, cashew nuts, and etc. But yes, it is very serious and I don't understand why some people take pride in saying that they are allergic when they really aren't. Man, those trips to the ER...
ReplyThanks for giving useful and intersting article about food allergies in children.
ReplyI'm not about to feed or otherwise expose kids to things that they, or their parents say they are allergic to, so I sort of resent the implication that I would. I follow the nut free policies at my kids' schools, and if I am aware of other allergies amongest my kids friends I keep that sort of stuff out of my kid's school lunch, etc, as well. As I said, I'm allergic to wasps, so I obviously know the potential consequences.
What I was questioning was the same thing that the original article is about - what methods are people using to test their kids, and why some would have tested their kids in the first place. I'm in Canada where there is healthcare coverage, so you are only going to be covered for allergy testing by a apecialist IF your family physician refers you. A family physician WON'T refer you because of idle curiousity about what if any allergies your kid might have, some sort of event must take place first to indicate that allergy testing is necessary. So if people say, "my kid is allergic to x, y, and g - but has never had any kind of a reaction, thank god," then it does sort of make me wonder WHY and HOW a kid was tested, and how accurate the testing was. I can wonder to myself but still act in a way that errs on the side of caution; the two things aren't exactly mutually exclusive.
And I do think that while parents of kids of a certain age have to be extremely vigilant on their behalf if they have allergies, as children approach their teen years they have to be taught how to make appropriate choices for themselves if they are to grow up to be safe. (don't trade lunch treats at school if you don't know what's in them, don't order the cake you want in the restaurant if you haven't checked that they can guarantee it's made without whatever you're allergic to) It just seems to be common sense that as they get out in the world more and are in more places without parents or other adults who know about their condition, they need to take on more of the responsibility for this themselves. Some of the kids I know with allergies are extremely good at self-advocacy, but some are the most coddled, wrapped in cotton wool I know, and I think this might be pretty dangerous for them in the long run. I ask 10 year olds who visit my house, is there anything you can't eat? But frankly, I don't think I should need to ask a 14 year old the same question.
ReplyFOOD Allergies ( Especially Delayed ) ARE Tricky !
Important to consider that....
FOOD Allergy Blood Testing for BOTH
> Immediate ( Eat a Peanut = Trouble )
AND
Delayed ( Health Issues manifests itself as a Function of Digestive Process therefore Delayed ) FOOD Allergy indicate an Order of FOOD "Sensitivity" Magnitude relative to the Positive Tested FOOD.
This Information is NOT Bullet Proof ..
But is used in YOUR > FOOD Allergy DIET Plan which is Custom Generated Based on YOUR FOOD Allergy Test Result.
Suggesting FOODs to Eat, not Eat, Restrict & ReIntroduce on a Controlled Basis.
Thus said ..
Take the FEAR Out of FOOD !
> TEST / Identify / Know / TREAT > Your FOOD Allergy Sources !
ALSO > Most FOOD allergy Patients ALSO have enviro / Respiratory ALLERGIES > So... Neutralize with ImmunoTherapy DROPs.
Bon Appetit !
Stephen
Principal
www.DropYourAllergies.com
Supporting YOUR Primary Dr. with Allergy Testing, Custom ImmunoTherapy Vaccine DROPs & Custom FOOD Allergy DIET Plans.
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