If you are feeling chronically fatigued, some alternative health practitioners may point to the cause as being a food allergy. This is highly unlikely; according to Dr. Stephen Barrett on the medical myth-busting website Quackwatch, scientific studies have determeind that only about 6 percent of children and less than 2 percent of adults suffer from food allergies and of these people, most are allergic to less than four foods.
Allergens
An allergic reaction is the result of your body's immune system defending itself when an allergy enters the body, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. People with food allergies can have a variety of different reactions if they eat particular foods, which can range from mild to life-threatening. The most common susbstances that trigger food allergies are proteins found in foods such as milk, eggs, peanuts, whey, soy, fish, shellfish and tree nuts. A severe peanut allergy, for example, can cause anaphylaxis, a rapid allergic reaction that can cause severe symptoms.
Food Intolerance
One of the most common misconceptions is that a food allergy is the same as food intolerance. Food allergies occur when your body secretes allergy-producing antibodies called immunoglobulin E in response to eating a specific food. This antibody will then cause the particular allergic reaction as a way for your immune system to fight the threat of this allergen in the body. A food intolerance, however, is not an immunological response to an allergen, but is related to an enzymatic deficiency that makes processing certain foods difficult.
Fatigue
Although the immune system's response to a food allergen shouldn't cause a constant feeling of fatigue, a food sensitivity may be behind such symptoms. According to Prohealth.com, one of the causes of food sensitivities is an over-production of cytokines, proteins that are produced by the immune system to kill foreign invaders into the body such as viruses. Cytokines can sometimes be produced if you have a sensitity to a particular food that leads your immune system to mistake this food for a harmful invader into the body. If this is the case, the sudden production of cytokines can result in a severe feeling of fatigue.
Testing
The best way to test whether or not you have a food allergy or food sensitivity is via blood or skin testing, although there isn't a well-accepted criteria in place for diagnosing food allergies. Another type of test is the elimination diet, in which you simply avoid eating the food you suspect is causing a reaction. A more radical form of testing is known as provocation or challenge testing, in which you eat a small amount of the suspected allergen under supervision of a doctor, you may experience a severe reaction.
References
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology: Allergic Reactions: Tips to Remember
- Quackwatch; Allergies: Dubious Diagnosis and Treatment; Stephen Barrett; May 2011
- SymptomFind: Allergies
- PubMed Health: Food Allergy
- LSIA Medical Laboratory: * Home * Get Tested * Food Intolerance * Symptoms * FAQ Subscribe to Food Intolerance What are the differences between Food Intolerance, Food Allergy and Food Hypersensitivity?
- ProHealth; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Food Allergies: How Diet Could Be Effecting Your Symptoms; Melissa F. Thompson; February 2002
