Posted on 01/07/2019 7:53:34 PM PST by BenLurkin
19 percent of the nationally representative group reported having a food allergy. But only 10.8 percent said they had symptoms consistent with an allergic reaction to food, such as hives, swelling of the lips or throat, and chest pain. The main culprits behind these allergies were shellfish, milk, and tree nuts. Those who didnt have a convincing food allergy instead reported symptoms like stomach cramps, a stuffy nose, or nausea.
The findings, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, roughly match up to estimates from other studies, including those that confirmed a persons food allergy with testing or medical records. In terms of the U.S. population, the study estimates, there are about 26 million adult Americans with a food allergyand there are likely nearly as many Americans who wrongly say they have one. But that doesnt mean huge swaths of people are pretending to have food allergies; its just that we could be a little confused about the terminology.
Its likely then, the researchers say, that people might be mixing up a food intolerance or sensitivity with a food allergy.
Only half of the group said they had an official diagnosis from a physician. And while many of us develop food allergies early on in childhood, just about half reported finding out about their allergy as adults.
This lack of diagnosis is concerning, because food allergies arent something you want to be in the dark about. ...In the study sample, 38 percent of people with food allergies said they had to visit the emergency room at least once in their lives as a result, while around a quarter had a current prescription of epinephrine, which can prevent anaphylaxis.
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Beauty and the Beets.
I ran into somebody like this who had a bad reaction at work from eating at a potluck party.
We do not eat out very often because my wife is sensitive enough that she sometimes has had reactions when chicken or steak is grilled along side fish or shellfish. There are also foods like worcestershire sauce that have fish products in them. Even having French fries that have been fried with oil that has also been used to deep fry fish can cause problems. Fortunately, a small amount of contamination usually just causes her lips and tongue to swell and not completely obstruct her airway.
I developed a seafood allergy about ten years ago. I thought that I had canned tuna stuck in my throat. Ends up my throat was swelling shut because of the reaction. I sure miss the stuff.
Allergies to anything simply means your body isn’t up to par.
“And if I have any wheat, I can barely walk from the joint pain.”
sounds like you have overt Celiac disease
Poor kid.
Madame, I salute you. As I said, I simply detest the horrid things. :-)
I see what you mean. Nevertheless, even though allergies run in my family, I can eat shrimp, shellfish all day long with nary a problem.
However, I DID develop an allergy to yellow jacket bee stings, after being stung about 19 times when fighting a hive about 10 years ago.
My face swelled up and I decided to stick it out and not call 911. (I was without my family at the time)
I’m lucky to be alive after doing so many dangerous things in my life. The Lord must like me, then. Doesn’t make any other sense.
And yet, this country has an obesity problem. Whatever people are allergic to, they seem to be getting over and around it with a vengeance!
It is the opposite in the case of peanuts. Scientists have been working on genetically modifying peanuts and other nuts and legumes to make them less dangerous to those who are allergic to them.
As far as why kids in the USA are now four times more allergic to peanuts than they were just a three decades ago... One of the most likely new theories is that “exposure to peanut protein by unborn or nursing babies, the tiny amounts that may enter the babys circulation when a pregnant or nursing woman eats peanuts might actually induce tolerance, not sensitization.”
This is just so, so typical isn't it? In the past three decades pregnant women were warned not to eat peanut products and to keep peanut products away from their babies... and this it turns out this may be the reason why kids have now become more likely to be allergic to peanuts later in their lives.
Now that you mention it, you never hear anyone say that they have an allergy to meat. Thanks for that.
Damn! I could use a good slice of prime rib right about now!
My wife loves fruit. We have a mature mango tree, watermelon vines, star fruit trees, papaya and dragon fruit in the yard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamondin
My wife is from the Philippines. She grew these in her back yard in soCal the only person I know who did. She took them to work and the others gulped them up. Don’t know where you are but this might be a nice addition.
Thanks for the reply. Still, I have no idea.
At some point, I just decided that I don’t like peanut butter or apples, after many years.
I like lettuce, tubers, and spinach, and other vegetables, not fruits for some reason. Meat and fish are great, but expensive for me lately.
You are lucky, the thing that is scary with my wife is how quickly she can go from irritating symptoms to something much more serious. There are no food allergies in my blood relatives either, but several relatives are allergic to bees including both my father and uncle. Both of them and my grandmother had breathing difficulties related to bee stings.
I have a severe reaction to pseudoephedrine... it makes all my skin peal off and causes other issues as well. I also had a severe reaction to poison oak, but I am not sure if I am more allergic to it than others or if I just had a worse exposure. While fighting a brush fire, I got poison oak in my clothing next to my skin and it remained there for hours not really bothering me since we were so busy, but that evening I had a systemic meaning that I had problems even in places that had not been exposed. The allergen travelled through my blood stream. Neither of those reactions caused breathing difficulties however so they were not life threatening.
I have loved peanut butter, milk, bread and apples since I was a kid. When I was a teenager I used to ride my bike 10,000 miles a year training for bicycle racing. I drove my parents crazy because I drank about a gallon of whole milk every day.
Yeah, I know what you mean. My baby daughter got poison Ivy. So I went out to rip out all the plants without being careful.
Well Mr. Nature boy, yours truly, got poison Ivy all over his arms. Lesson learned.
BTW, thank you for saving lives. There ARE those out there that really appreciate this kind of thing.
Lima beans were verboten on our table when I was growing up. My father had gone to boarding school in England for several years and after eating so many during his time there he swore never again. The other food not permitted was creamed chipped beef on toast. Army years settled that matter.
A friend of my mother in law was highly allergic to peanuts. It was not BS or a joke. He had some close calls.
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