Re: Food allergy risk over-estimated ?

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the article. I would imagine that the majority of

rosaceans who do find that they flare from foods (certainly, some

rosaceans have no problems with food at all) probably fall under the

category described in his book, and they do not have food allergies

or celiac disease.

He says most people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal tracts.

Dr. Nase does state on page 100 that a minority may have

gastrointestinal difficulties such as food allergies and celiac

disease. These two things which cause gastrointestinal abnormalities

may cause rosacea flares and progression of rosacea. The percentage

of those suffering with food allergies and celiac disease is small

and in the minority, even among rosacea sufferers. He states himself

that the majority of people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal

tracts, which means they don't have food allergies or celiac disease.

For those of us who notice certain foods trigger flares and do not

have food allergies and do not have celiac disease, it is it is

brought on by:

" Foods,beverages, medications and supplements contain natural

dilator substances, and can release dilators after being broken down

in the gastrointestinal tract. These are both normal events which

occur in all humans. If these substances reach high enough

concentrations, they can cause widespread dilation of blood vessels

and trigger facial flushing. This form of food flushing is, by far,

the most common in rosacea sufferers(normal byproducts of ingested

substances causing dilation).

The hyper-reactive facial blood vessels of rosacea sufferers just

can't handle these substances, even at normal concentrations. Some of

the most important foods, beverages, medications, supplements that

can cause dilation include: Foods that contain or release histamine

(a potent dilator)...;foods or supplements that contain or release

dilator prostaglandins. The most common example is niacin...;eating

large amounts of simple sugars...can cause glucose levels in the

blood stream to rise quickly and trigger skin flushing... " (page 101

of Dr. Nase's book.)

I hope I'm not beating a dead horse here, but there are major

differences with a rosacean who reacts to certain trigger foods with

facial flushing and bumps, and one who has food allergies and celiac

disease. A person who has food allergies and celiac disease will

always have them even if their blood vessels get repaired and their

rosacea goes away. A person who doesn't have food allergies or celiac

disease, but has rosacea and has problems with certain foods

triggering flares, will not have those flares occur once the damaged

blood vessels get repaired and the rosacea goes away. I think that's

a major difference between the two.

Take care,

Matija

> Greetings,

>

> Here's an article from the BBC web site today on a British study

indicating

> that, though various food " intolerances " are fairly common

> (i.e. " triggers " ?), actual food allergies that involve the immune

response

> are rather rare:

>

> Food Allergy Risk Over-estimated

>

> Millions of people mistakenly believe they are allergic to some

types of

> food. Researchers have found that one in three people believe they

have a

> true food allergy - but less than 2% actually do.More people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy,

> and are eliminating certain food types from their diet

>

> The findings, from market analyst Datamonitor, suggest that many

people are

> avoiding certain types of food unnecessarily, possibly depriving

themselves

> of valuable nutrients in the process.The researchers say that part

of the

> problem is people are diagnosing themselves without ever seeing

their

> doctor. Even when medical advise is sought, the current tests are

subjective

> and not particularly accurate.

>

> A lack of certified allergists and the closure of allergy clinics is

> compounding the problem. They also warn that people who are

accurately

> diagnosed face the twin problems of inadequate food labelling and a

lack

> of effective drugs to treat the condition.

>

> The researchers say many people think they are suffering from a food

> allergy, when what they actually have is a food intolerance.

> A true food allergy is an abnormal response to a food that is

triggered by

> the immune system. In its most extreme form this leads to

potentially

> life-threatening anaphylactic shock which requires emergency

treatment

> with the hormone adrenaline.

>

> A food intolerance does not trigger a life-threatening immunological

> response, but can produce symptoms such as asthma, eczema or

migraines.

> The most common triggers for true food allergies are peanuts, milk

and

> seafood. Datamonitor estimates that up to 30% of allergic reactions

occur

> after a patient has eaten food that has not been properly labelled.

> It says food labelling laws must be enforced more strongly.

> Allergies can be triggered by as little as 1/1,000th of a peanut.

>

> The allergy rate among children is slightly higher than it is among

adults.

> However, a far greater percentage of children are misdiagnosed as

having a

> food allergy. In addition, research shows that most children will

outgrow

> their allergies.Silvia Anton, Healthcare Analyst at Datamonitor

said: " As

> society continues to become more health conscious, more and more

people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy, and

> are eliminating certain food types from their diet.

>

> " Future research much focus on developing more accurate diagnostic

tests so

> that those with a 'true' food allergy can be effectively

identified, and in

> educating doctors in spotting the symptoms of food allergies " .

> Muriel , chief executive of the British Allergy Foundation,

agreed

> with the analysis that food intolerance was confused with food

allergy.

> But she told BBC News Online that it was not necessarily a bad

thing if

> people stopped eating food that did not agree with them - even if

it was

> simply an intolerance, rather than an allergy. She said: " Nobody is

going

> to cut something out of their diet without a reason, and if the

body does

> not like something it is better to avoid it. "

>

> Cheers

> Chris

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the article. I would imagine that the majority of

rosaceans who do find that they flare from foods (certainly, some

rosaceans have no problems with food at all) probably fall under the

category described in his book, and they do not have food allergies

or celiac disease.

He says most people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal tracts.

Dr. Nase does state on page 100 that a minority may have

gastrointestinal difficulties such as food allergies and celiac

disease. These two things which cause gastrointestinal abnormalities

may cause rosacea flares and progression of rosacea. The percentage

of those suffering with food allergies and celiac disease is small

and in the minority, even among rosacea sufferers. He states himself

that the majority of people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal

tracts, which means they don't have food allergies or celiac disease.

For those of us who notice certain foods trigger flares and do not

have food allergies and do not have celiac disease, it is it is

brought on by:

" Foods,beverages, medications and supplements contain natural

dilator substances, and can release dilators after being broken down

in the gastrointestinal tract. These are both normal events which

occur in all humans. If these substances reach high enough

concentrations, they can cause widespread dilation of blood vessels

and trigger facial flushing. This form of food flushing is, by far,

the most common in rosacea sufferers(normal byproducts of ingested

substances causing dilation).

The hyper-reactive facial blood vessels of rosacea sufferers just

can't handle these substances, even at normal concentrations. Some of

the most important foods, beverages, medications, supplements that

can cause dilation include: Foods that contain or release histamine

(a potent dilator)...;foods or supplements that contain or release

dilator prostaglandins. The most common example is niacin...;eating

large amounts of simple sugars...can cause glucose levels in the

blood stream to rise quickly and trigger skin flushing... " (page 101

of Dr. Nase's book.)

I hope I'm not beating a dead horse here, but there are major

differences with a rosacean who reacts to certain trigger foods with

facial flushing and bumps, and one who has food allergies and celiac

disease. A person who has food allergies and celiac disease will

always have them even if their blood vessels get repaired and their

rosacea goes away. A person who doesn't have food allergies or celiac

disease, but has rosacea and has problems with certain foods

triggering flares, will not have those flares occur once the damaged

blood vessels get repaired and the rosacea goes away. I think that's

a major difference between the two.

Take care,

Matija

> Greetings,

>

> Here's an article from the BBC web site today on a British study

indicating

> that, though various food " intolerances " are fairly common

> (i.e. " triggers " ?), actual food allergies that involve the immune

response

> are rather rare:

>

> Food Allergy Risk Over-estimated

>

> Millions of people mistakenly believe they are allergic to some

types of

> food. Researchers have found that one in three people believe they

have a

> true food allergy - but less than 2% actually do.More people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy,

> and are eliminating certain food types from their diet

>

> The findings, from market analyst Datamonitor, suggest that many

people are

> avoiding certain types of food unnecessarily, possibly depriving

themselves

> of valuable nutrients in the process.The researchers say that part

of the

> problem is people are diagnosing themselves without ever seeing

their

> doctor. Even when medical advise is sought, the current tests are

subjective

> and not particularly accurate.

>

> A lack of certified allergists and the closure of allergy clinics is

> compounding the problem. They also warn that people who are

accurately

> diagnosed face the twin problems of inadequate food labelling and a

lack

> of effective drugs to treat the condition.

>

> The researchers say many people think they are suffering from a food

> allergy, when what they actually have is a food intolerance.

> A true food allergy is an abnormal response to a food that is

triggered by

> the immune system. In its most extreme form this leads to

potentially

> life-threatening anaphylactic shock which requires emergency

treatment

> with the hormone adrenaline.

>

> A food intolerance does not trigger a life-threatening immunological

> response, but can produce symptoms such as asthma, eczema or

migraines.

> The most common triggers for true food allergies are peanuts, milk

and

> seafood. Datamonitor estimates that up to 30% of allergic reactions

occur

> after a patient has eaten food that has not been properly labelled.

> It says food labelling laws must be enforced more strongly.

> Allergies can be triggered by as little as 1/1,000th of a peanut.

>

> The allergy rate among children is slightly higher than it is among

adults.

> However, a far greater percentage of children are misdiagnosed as

having a

> food allergy. In addition, research shows that most children will

outgrow

> their allergies.Silvia Anton, Healthcare Analyst at Datamonitor

said: " As

> society continues to become more health conscious, more and more

people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy, and

> are eliminating certain food types from their diet.

>

> " Future research much focus on developing more accurate diagnostic

tests so

> that those with a 'true' food allergy can be effectively

identified, and in

> educating doctors in spotting the symptoms of food allergies " .

> Muriel , chief executive of the British Allergy Foundation,

agreed

> with the analysis that food intolerance was confused with food

allergy.

> But she told BBC News Online that it was not necessarily a bad

thing if

> people stopped eating food that did not agree with them - even if

it was

> simply an intolerance, rather than an allergy. She said: " Nobody is

going

> to cut something out of their diet without a reason, and if the

body does

> not like something it is better to avoid it. "

>

> Cheers

> Chris

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the article. I would imagine that the majority of

rosaceans who do find that they flare from foods (certainly, some

rosaceans have no problems with food at all) probably fall under the

category described in his book, and they do not have food allergies

or celiac disease.

He says most people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal tracts.

Dr. Nase does state on page 100 that a minority may have

gastrointestinal difficulties such as food allergies and celiac

disease. These two things which cause gastrointestinal abnormalities

may cause rosacea flares and progression of rosacea. The percentage

of those suffering with food allergies and celiac disease is small

and in the minority, even among rosacea sufferers. He states himself

that the majority of people with rosacea have normal gastrointestinal

tracts, which means they don't have food allergies or celiac disease.

For those of us who notice certain foods trigger flares and do not

have food allergies and do not have celiac disease, it is it is

brought on by:

" Foods,beverages, medications and supplements contain natural

dilator substances, and can release dilators after being broken down

in the gastrointestinal tract. These are both normal events which

occur in all humans. If these substances reach high enough

concentrations, they can cause widespread dilation of blood vessels

and trigger facial flushing. This form of food flushing is, by far,

the most common in rosacea sufferers(normal byproducts of ingested

substances causing dilation).

The hyper-reactive facial blood vessels of rosacea sufferers just

can't handle these substances, even at normal concentrations. Some of

the most important foods, beverages, medications, supplements that

can cause dilation include: Foods that contain or release histamine

(a potent dilator)...;foods or supplements that contain or release

dilator prostaglandins. The most common example is niacin...;eating

large amounts of simple sugars...can cause glucose levels in the

blood stream to rise quickly and trigger skin flushing... " (page 101

of Dr. Nase's book.)

I hope I'm not beating a dead horse here, but there are major

differences with a rosacean who reacts to certain trigger foods with

facial flushing and bumps, and one who has food allergies and celiac

disease. A person who has food allergies and celiac disease will

always have them even if their blood vessels get repaired and their

rosacea goes away. A person who doesn't have food allergies or celiac

disease, but has rosacea and has problems with certain foods

triggering flares, will not have those flares occur once the damaged

blood vessels get repaired and the rosacea goes away. I think that's

a major difference between the two.

Take care,

Matija

> Greetings,

>

> Here's an article from the BBC web site today on a British study

indicating

> that, though various food " intolerances " are fairly common

> (i.e. " triggers " ?), actual food allergies that involve the immune

response

> are rather rare:

>

> Food Allergy Risk Over-estimated

>

> Millions of people mistakenly believe they are allergic to some

types of

> food. Researchers have found that one in three people believe they

have a

> true food allergy - but less than 2% actually do.More people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy,

> and are eliminating certain food types from their diet

>

> The findings, from market analyst Datamonitor, suggest that many

people are

> avoiding certain types of food unnecessarily, possibly depriving

themselves

> of valuable nutrients in the process.The researchers say that part

of the

> problem is people are diagnosing themselves without ever seeing

their

> doctor. Even when medical advise is sought, the current tests are

subjective

> and not particularly accurate.

>

> A lack of certified allergists and the closure of allergy clinics is

> compounding the problem. They also warn that people who are

accurately

> diagnosed face the twin problems of inadequate food labelling and a

lack

> of effective drugs to treat the condition.

>

> The researchers say many people think they are suffering from a food

> allergy, when what they actually have is a food intolerance.

> A true food allergy is an abnormal response to a food that is

triggered by

> the immune system. In its most extreme form this leads to

potentially

> life-threatening anaphylactic shock which requires emergency

treatment

> with the hormone adrenaline.

>

> A food intolerance does not trigger a life-threatening immunological

> response, but can produce symptoms such as asthma, eczema or

migraines.

> The most common triggers for true food allergies are peanuts, milk

and

> seafood. Datamonitor estimates that up to 30% of allergic reactions

occur

> after a patient has eaten food that has not been properly labelled.

> It says food labelling laws must be enforced more strongly.

> Allergies can be triggered by as little as 1/1,000th of a peanut.

>

> The allergy rate among children is slightly higher than it is among

adults.

> However, a far greater percentage of children are misdiagnosed as

having a

> food allergy. In addition, research shows that most children will

outgrow

> their allergies.Silvia Anton, Healthcare Analyst at Datamonitor

said: " As

> society continues to become more health conscious, more and more

people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy, and

> are eliminating certain food types from their diet.

>

> " Future research much focus on developing more accurate diagnostic

tests so

> that those with a 'true' food allergy can be effectively

identified, and in

> educating doctors in spotting the symptoms of food allergies " .

> Muriel , chief executive of the British Allergy Foundation,

agreed

> with the analysis that food intolerance was confused with food

allergy.

> But she told BBC News Online that it was not necessarily a bad

thing if

> people stopped eating food that did not agree with them - even if

it was

> simply an intolerance, rather than an allergy. She said: " Nobody is

going

> to cut something out of their diet without a reason, and if the

body does

> not like something it is better to avoid it. "

>

> Cheers

> Chris

[Guest guest]

As a consumer, it is my experience that mainstream physicians consider

only IgE responses to be allergies (the type to produce anaphylactic

response within an hour), so these articles/letters are perhaps a bit

misleading to people who don't realize this.

I have qualms about reading about the hazards of " avoiding certain types

of food unnecessarily, possibly depriving themselves of valuable

nutrients in the process " . Sounds like fear mongering to me. There are

so many food choices available nowadays that even removing something as

commonplace as dairy isn't difficult and certainly doesn't lead to

compromising anyone's health because of nutrient deficiency. Calcium

fortified juices and soy milks abound. Similarly there are so many

products now available designed for celiac individuals which will work

perfectly for individuals wishing to test out whether wheat is the

source of their skin problems.

It seems to me (and doubtless many others) that if physicians wish to

turn a blind eye to delayed food allergy, summarily dismissing it as

food intolerance and implying it isn't worthy of their investigation,

then the onus must lie with the patient to find their own allergens.

The article acknowledges that " food intolerance does not trigger a life

threatening immunological response, but can produce symptoms such as

asthma, eczema or migraines " . Interesting since it wasn't long ago that

eczema was considered to be a dermatological condition with no link

whatsoever to food. Given the significant change in perspective in

recent years, it perhaps isn't much of a leap to consider that some day

soon other dermatological conditions like rosacea will also show that

link

It appears to be clearly defined that certain foods containing high

natural levels of histamine can act as potential triggers of rosacea.

In view of that, it would appear to be folly to ignore that an allergic

response can cause the release of histamine from within cells. And

there are numerous other cellular reactions which could potentially

cause, so one need not focus solely on histamine.

Finally, I find it intriguing to read about further research into " true "

allergy identification tests in this article when it also says that only

2% of the population experience it. Reliable IgE tests exist. Perhaps

some day soon the allergy researchers will take on the task of

identifying exactly what is occurring in the body when delayed food

allergies take place and developing a method (any method!) of

identifying delayed food allergy.

My apologies if my letter is a little disjointed. I've tried to make my

thoughts coherent while amusing a six year old. Also, thanks to J

Gleason for the letter mentioning IgG mediated allergic response. I've

also heard that secretory IgA may be a factor in some delayed type

allergic responses.

(bits and pieces from the original post)

>More people are

> self-diagnosing that they, or indeed their children have a food

allergy,

> and are eliminating certain food types from their diet

> The findings, from market analyst Datamonitor, suggest that many

people are

> avoiding certain types of food unnecessarily, possibly depriving

themselves

> of valuable nutrients in the process.

> A food intolerance does not trigger a life-threatening immunological

> response, but can produce symptoms such as asthma, eczema or

migraines.

>She said: " Nobody is going

> to cut something out of their diet without a reason, and if the body

does

> not like something it is better to avoid it. "