Adverse reactions of food

Published in: Today Digital
Author: Dra. Roccio Medina, Clinical Nutritional Physician. General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud.

Health problems associated with adverse reactions caused by food have been a matter of concern over time.

Since ancient times these disorders linked to the ingestion of food are known, resulting in a great concern and interest for the person who suffers and the cause of diet modification, often without seeking guidance from the specialist.

When we approach this topic it is essential to start by classifying the adverse reactions of food into toxic and non-toxic, taking into account the pathogenic or trigger mechanism.

The first ones are produced by poisoning caused by toxic substances naturally contained in food, such as the muscarine of some fungi, or by toxins produced by microorganisms in poorly preserved foods, such as botulin, which causes gastroenteritis, by natural chemicals such as ciguatera. , or chemical substances added to food by products for agriculture (herbicides and insecticides), additives such as antibiotics that are administered to animals during their aging, metals that are released from canned packaging containers and industrial pollutants.

Adverse reactions to foods that are known as non-toxic are allergies and intolerances. These two conditions manifest themselves in different ways.

Allergies Allergy is understood as the individual, abnormal, specific and exaggerated reaction to a substance (allergen) usually harmless to most.

A food allergen is a substance found in a food that can cause a reaction in the person who consumes it.

Intolerances The intolerance does not provoke any reaction to the immune system, but to the metabolism. There are many food intolerances and can cause disorders and diseases of varying magnitude.

Symptoms of intolerance and food allergies may be similar, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence or gas may occur, but in addition, allergies usually include urticaria, cough, asthma, inflammation of the tongue, mouth and less frequent, but often deadly - glottis edema.

In view of these symptoms, an adequate evaluation must be carried out to rule out the presence of an inflammatory bowel disease that has some similar symptoms. For this reason it is advisable to visit the doctor to have an adequate diagnosis and treatment.

Sometimes the person can not determine what food produces the allergy or intolerance. In those cases, to know what foods can cause an allergy or intolerance, the doctor gives the patient a history with possible antecedents, both family and previous symptoms associated with a specific food, and then skin allergy tests, which are highly secure