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This series of videos is an overview of food allergies by Dr. Bob Professor of Food Science of the Cornell University Department of Food Science. Topics include:
- What is a food allergy?
- How to know if you have an allergy.
- Who is most at risk for developing a food allergy.
- Can food allergies be prevented or cured?
- What is the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance?
Food Allergy 101: Introduction
Transcript
Robert B. Gravani: Hi! My name is Bob Gravani, I am a professor of Food Science in Cornell University. My area of interest is food safety and throughout my entire career I have spent time looking at these issues, in all sectors of the food system. Today, we're going to talk about food allergies. We are going to look at food allergy one-on-one, we're going to talk about reactions, we're going to talk about assisting people who have food allergies, do a better job of shopping and identifying some specific food allergens.
My interest area as I said is food safety and I've worked a great deal with farmers and growers with good agricultural practices and helping them reduce microbial risks in the production, harvesting and packing of fresh foods and vegetables, worked with personnel in the food processing industry, the retail industry and the food service industry as well as with consumers. So today we're really going to address some of those major issues related to food allergens, so let's get started talking about food allergies.
What is a food allergy?
Transcript
Host: What is a food allergy?
Robert B. Gravani: Well, a food allergy is an immune system response to a protein in a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful, when the food is first consumed, certain cells in the body get sensitized and when the protein is consumed the second time, those sensitized cells release a lot of very powerful chemicals like histamines, some leukotrienes, some prostaglandins and these powerful chemicals trigger the allergic reaction, the symptoms that occur and these symptoms can occur in places like the eyes, the nose, the throat, the skin, the gastrointestinal tract and even the cardiovascular system.
How do I know if I have an allergy?
Transcript
Host: How do I know if I have an allergy?
Robert B. Gravani: Well, when people consume a certain food and they show a typical reaction, they might have a skin rash, they might have gastrointestinal symptoms, they might have breathing issues, they seriously would want to consult with their physician and seek the advice of an allergist or an immunologist because some of these food allergies are very, very serious. Sometimes the symptoms are very mild, but other times they could be life threatening and it's important to catch them early and get the advice of a physician on these issues.
Who is at a greater risk of developing a food allergy?
Transcript
Host: Who is at greater risk of developing a food allergy?
Robert B. Gravani: Well, it turns out that people inherit the ability to produce antibodies against certain types of food proteins and people who are in families where allergies are prevalent, things like Hay Fever or Eczema or Asthma or more at risk and than people who are not in the families, but this is inheritable situation, so how you choose your parents is very, very important here.
Can food allergies be prevented or is there a cure for food allergies?
Transcript
Host: Can food allergies be prevented or is there a cure for food allergies?
Robert B. Gravani: Well, it turns out that some research that's going on now addresses issues in infants that might be at risk in terms of coming from families that are predisposed to certain allergies and paediatricians would recommend that these infants be breast fed for the first six months, let solid foods be introduced gradually later on and that they not be given specific allergens like peanuts or sea food, etcetera until they are about three years old, but really it's very, very difficult to prevent food allergies.
The treatment for food, there really isn't any and avoidance diets are very important. What we are doing here is trying to avoid that specific offending protein that an individual might be sensitized to.
What is the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?
Transcript
Host: What is the difference between food allergy and intolerance?
Robert B. Gravani: A true food allergy really involves the immune system, it's a immune system response to a protein. Intolerance does not involve the immune system and a good example of this would lactose intolerance. About 25% of the U.
S. population is lactose intolerant, that is they lack an enzyme called lactase that allows them to digest if you will the milk sugar lactose and those who cannot digest usually have lots of rumbling and gas and a feeling of loading in diarrhea when they consume dairy products but it does involve the immune system.
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