Food Allergy Is Triggered In Adulthood - Why?

Marko Balašević Author: Marko Balašević Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022
Food Allergy Is Triggered In Adulthood - Why?

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In this article, learn more about Food Allergy Is Triggered In Adulthood - Why?. How dangerous is a food allergy unlocked in adulthood?.

Food allergy is usually associated with infancy and childhood, but a number of features of the modern lifestyle can trigger its manifestations in adulthood. Moreover, in people who as children did not have food allergies. And while children usually experience allergies over time, they often remain a lifelong problem when they appear in adulthood.

 

The onset of symptoms of an allergic reaction after eating certain foods is a common complaint among adults today. Given that they have not had problems with these foods in the past, many people ignore the symptoms. And you should not, because in most cases they are really provoked by allergies, which are triggered in adulthood.


 

According to a study conducted in the United States, more than 50% of adults with food allergies have developed this allergy after the age of 18. Statistics show that 5% of older Americans have an increased allergic attitude to certain foods. By comparison, the problem affects about 8% of children in the United States.

 

The most common form of food allergy triggered in adulthood is seafood allergy. It accounts for about 5% of cases. Followed by allergies to peanuts, almonds, eggs and more.

 

Experts who conducted the study emphasize that adults who first encounter food allergies in adulthood, in most cases remain allergic to them for the rest of their lives.

 

Symptoms of food allergy

triggered in adulthood include mostly complaints related to the lining of the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract. There is a feeling of tingling, itching and increased mucous secretion after consuming food that acts as an allergen. Symptoms in adults are rarely life-threatening and are usually milder than in children. Once the food enters the stomach, its allergenic properties are quickly neutralized by the gastric juice, and the symptoms subside.

 

At present, the reasons for the increase in cases of food allergy, triggered in adulthood, is unknown. However, scientists suggest that industrial pollution, its effects on crops, and the consequences of further processing of these crops play a major role.

 

 

 

The fact is that most often allergic reactions trigger foods consumed raw , due to the residual action of the products with which they are treated. The scientists' explanation is simple. Many of the foods we eat today are different from the same types of foods we ate years ago. Our immune system recognizes a number of their ingredients that it has not encountered before, as allergens, and their consumption triggers an allergic reaction. The reason is the same in children and adults, but in children food allergies are considered normal, and in adults - no.

 

This explains why adult food allergy is rarely associated with a genetic predisposition and why people who develop the allergy in adulthood are unlikely to pass it on to their offspring.

 

The main inconvenience for them remains the need to avoid the consumption of products to which they have an allergic attitude and to obtain anti-allergic products that they can quickly rely on in the event of more serious allergic reactions.

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