Food Allergy Research Paper

Food allergy develops when the body‘s immune system wrongly reacts to a specific food as if it was a harmful substance in the body. The severity of a food allergic reaction differs in different people and can as well be different in the same person during different times. Food allergies are prevalent in young children. It is estimated that five to eight percent of all children suffer from food allergies. These allergies usually appear mainly in the early life of a child and present themselves in the form of facial swelling and itchy rashes, which appear shortly after ingesting food. However, food allergies may lead to severe allergic reactions involving diarrhea, breathing difficulties or vomiting and they are the common dominant triggers of anaphylaxis in children. Anaphylaxis is considered as the extreme form of an instant allergic reaction and can be life-threatening, even leading to death.

The most common causes of allergic food reactions in children include cow’s milk, peanuts, and chicken eggs. Over the years as a child grows, they often outgrow chicken eggs and cow’s milk allergic reactions as they disappear after a few years. However, children do not outgrow allergic reactions from peanuts. Those who suffer from peanut allergy must follow a strict diet in their entire lives and carry medication with them always.

Previous studies of twins suggest that about 80 percent of the risk of food allergies is heritable. However, little is known about these genetic risk factors. Environmental factors are known to play a major role in food allergies. The established environmental factors include dietary exposures, the influence of the microbiota and aerosol allergen exposures. Studies have shown that the more food a child is exposed to in early life, may lead to sensitization. However, there have been few studies to look into the genetic causes of food