- Sponsored Content
Food allergies in children are growing increasingly common, with numbers rising over time. We all know someone who suffers. Naturally, parents often wonder or worry if their child is allergic to a particular food type and it can be tricky to determine the exact cause. The good news is that as the numbers of these allergies escalate, so too does our knowledge and awareness. Dr. Nithya Nahappan, a family doctor at Osler Health International with an interest in food allergies, answers some of the most common questions on the subject.
What are food allergies?
Food allergies occur when the immune system treats a particular food as an “invader,” triggering a reaction. Food allergies can be categorised as either immediate or delayed. The most frequent type of immediate reaction food allergies are to egg, milk, nuts, fish, sesame, and shellfish. For delayed-type allergies, the most usual suspects are milk and soy.
Are food allergies genetic?
Allergies to specific foods themselves are not inherited. Just because you are allergic to eggs, for example, does not mean that your child will be. However, it does mean that your child could inherit an “allergic tendency” to develop food allergies or other allergic problems like hay fever, asthma, or eczema.
Is lactose intolerance a type of food allergy?
Lactose intolerance is a food intolerance, which is different from a food allergy. Unlike allergies, intolerances do not involve the immune system. However, they can still make people feel extremely stressed out and unwell with a wide range of symptoms, from skin manifestations to palpitations and headaches. Other common food intolerances include reactions to gluten, food additives, and vasoactive amines, including histamine.
Advice for concerned parents
- Trust your instincts
If you think your child might be allergic or intolerant to a food, speak to your doctor, even if you are not certain of what the cause might be. The diagnostic process can take time, but it is important that it is done with an experienced clinician to avoid unnecessarily excluding important and essential nutrients - Be cautious of IgG allergy testing
This type of testing is not scientifically supported by expert medical groups around the world, although it is widely offered as a food allergy or intolerance test. Assuming allergy or intolerance based on these tests can be misleading - Eczema and “allergic families” Speak to your doctor if your child
has severe eczema in the first year of life or if you have family members with asthma, environmental allergies, and eczema
Dr Nithya Nahappan is a British GP with a background in mental health care and childhood allergies. Dr Nithya is based at Osler’s Raffles Hotel Arcade clinic.
Osler Health International
328 North Bridge Road
#02-27 & #02-34 Raffles Hotel Arcade, Singapore 188719
Whats App: 9670 7027
raffles@osler-health.com
