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| Sunday, 3 March 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Food allergy is it common? Compiled by Carol Aloysius Food intolerance can occur to naturally occurring food components such as salicylates and amines in some fruits and vegetables, as well as to a few food additives such as sulphites or yellow food colour, tatrazine. People with food intolerance are usually sensitive to more than one food ingredient. The degree of reaction and the time it takes for symptoms to occur after eating certain foods or food components also vary between people. If you suspect you have a food allergy or intolerance, the best way to identify the food component responsible is to seek expert medical advice from a doctor or qualified medical allergist. The offending food or food component can then be avoided. People who suffer from a severe reaction should wear an alert necklace or bracelet that notes this. True food allergy is quite uncommon, affecting only 1-2% of adults and 4-6% of children. Common symptoms of a true food allergy include: Hives, itching, rash or eczema Swelling of the lips, face, tongue or other parts of the body Wheezing, breathing difficulties or a stuffy nose Stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting In severe reactions, shock, rapid pulse, a severe drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness may occur. Itching skin, difficulty breathing, a runny nose and nausea. These are just some of the symptoms that can be caused by food allergies. Yet in most people, these symptoms are due to something else. Allergies to substances other than foods are far more common than food allergies. Studies show that approximately one in three adults believe they have a food allergy. The reality is that true food allergy affects only 1 to 2 per cent of adults and 4 to 6 per cent of children. What is a food allergy? A food allergy is an adverse reaction to a food or food component that involves the body's immune system. The immune system produces large amounts of antibodies to fight against even small amounts of the food or food component that the body is allergic to (the allergen). This in turn produces histamine and other chemicals that cause symptoms such as a dripping nose, itchy eyes, dry throat, rashes and hives, nausea and diarrhoea. Foods that cause an allergy The most common cause of food allergy, accounting for 90 per cent of all food allergies are: Cow's milk, Wheat, Egg whites, Soybeans, Peanuts Other common causes are fish, shellfish tree nuts, beans and corn. These include: Family history - if one of your parents has an allergy, you are twice as likely to develop one. Age - children are much more likely to have a food allergy than adults are and most food allergies develop in people less than 30 years of age. This is because the digestive system matures with age. Fortunately most children outgrow their allergy by about age 6 although allergies to nuts and shellfish are more likely to be lifelong. A reaction to a food or food component is more likely to be a food intolerance rather than a true food allergy. Food intolerances do not normally involve the immune system but as they seem to trigger many of the same symptoms, they are often mislabelled as food allergies. The most common symptoms of food intolerance include hives, headaches, mouth ulcers, stomach pains and bowel irritation. It's easy to be led astray and blame the wrong food for an allergy or intolerance without realising that its something else in the food that's causing the problem. The important thing to remember though is that most people consume a wide variety of food additives and ingredients daily with only a very small number being associated with adverse reactions. Fish oils: good or bad? by Dr. D.P. Atukorale Essential fatty acids are necessary for good health because they provide the catalysts for various metabolic functions e.g. they can activate cell regulators known as prostaglandins. They are called essential because the body cannot manufacture them. There are 2 classes of essential fatty acids (EFAS) the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Most vegetable oils provide the EFAS but these are not significantly present in meat. Omega -6 fatty acids are found in vegetable seeds and oils produced from them. Good sources include safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn, soya, evening primrose, pumpkin, and wheat germ. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in deep water fish oils. They are found in linseed oil and soya bean oil. So vegetarians don't have to worry if they consume soya products, soya oil and other vegetable oils. Fish oils are more unsaturated than oils obtained from land animals. Small fish such as Salaya, Hurulla, and Kumbalawa have significant quantities of omega-3 fatty acids. Red fish such as 'Balaya, Kelawala (tuna) and Thalapaya, are good sources of omega-3. White fish such as Thora and Paraw are not good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Contrary to popular opinion, fish is not the only source of omega-3. Flaxseed (linseed) oil actually contains about twice as much omega-3 as found in fish oils. Flatseed is also rich in omega-6 fatty acids. Other good sources of omega-3 are repeseed (Canola) oil and soya oil. The food supplement, spirulina also contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty caids. Although fish oils has been touted as the ultimate cure for heart disease, the evidence is by no means as clear - cut as the publicity given by the multinational drug firms. Large doses of fish oil lower the serum triglyceride level in people who have hypertriglyceridaemia (high serum levels of blood fat known as triglycerides). But this condition is rare in Sri Lanka, the commonest causes of hypertriglyceridaemia being excessive alcoholic intake and uncontrolled diabetes. But when fish oils are continued over a longer period of time (six months) the initial triglyceride lowering effect disappears. The theory that taking fish oil helps patients after PTCA (angioplasty) has been disproved. A large study at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital has shown that taking fish oils causes narrowing of coronary arteries and causes more heart attacks than people taking olive oil (G.J. Reis et al, Lancet, Vol. 22, 1999, pages 177-181). The theory that fish oil can reduce arthritis has not been proved. Regarding cholesterol, some studies show that large doses of fish oil can reduce cholesterol levels. Other studies show that fish oil can raise blood cholesterol levels especially the LD1 cholesterol (bad cholesterol) level. why does your baby cry? by Dr. Sampath Nanayakkara Persistent crying can be the most worrying problems to a first time mother who is not certain about her mothering abilities. Crying is the only language in which your tiny tot, can communicate with you when it needs your attention, because words are beyond its reach. All babies have distinctive cries for their different needs. It takes some time for a new mother to become attuned to this variety of tones and sounds. But ultimately she will be able to tell, if her baby is hungry, uncomfortable, in pain, or just feeling lonely. Until such time that mother and baby have tuned in together it can seem as if some babies are always crying. The duration that babies spend crying also vary markedly depending on the cause. Some of the possible causes of your baby's crying are: 1. Hunger Your baby's need for food in the first few weeks is unpredictable. Sometimes 4 hourly feeds may not be enough to satisfy the baby's stomach because baby has come from an environment where food was available continuously without interruption in the warm protection of the womb. This is why demand feeding in the early days is better than routine, not only that, feeding the baby on demand will increase your milk supply according to the baby's needs. The sucking reflex itself, teaches the mother's body how she should supply milk to the baby, the next few months. If your baby cries within two hours of a good milk feed. Hunger is unlikely to be the cause. However, crying after 2-3 hours possibility of hunger is high in the list. 2. Wind Wind also makes babies distress. Although bubbles of gas in the stomach can cause much discomfort in the baby, this is by no means likely to occur after every feed. A cuddle for five minutes after a feed with the baby held upright in your arms, is all that is necessary to let the air bubbles to popout. If your baby is bottle fed check the size of the hole in the teat which may be too small and baby has to work hard to suck through it and excess air may be passing into stomach along with milk. Equally if the hole is too big, milk may be pouring into the mouth at a rapid rate and the baby will have to take large gulps of air in order to breathe. A similar thing can arise in breast feeding if large quantities of milk gushes out at the beginning of the feed. If this is the case, expressing a little milk before starting a feed can help. 3. Wet nappies Some babies get irritated, whenever they have to lie on a wet nappy. So it is worth checking the nappy if he cries continuously for more than ten minutes. 4. Refusal of feeds One of the first signs of illness is feeding difficulties. 5. Any illness Fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, blocked nose, chest congestion, ear problems are some of the common causes of distress. Seek medical advice. 6. If the environment is too cold or too warm or too much of light falling on to the baby. 7. Is baby left lonely? Some babies expect more comfort and cuddling than others. They do not like to be kept all alone in a cot. This may be cause of crying. Picking him up and cuddling him for a short time may be all he needs before going to sleep again. It is worth while wrapping your baby in a soft clothe rather than leaving him lying free. Persistent crying can be worrying to a mother. Do not hesitate to seek helping hand from grandmother. Check on all possibilities in the check list given and deal with any that come to your mind. If there seems to be nothing wrong, a little time spent cuddling him will be all that is needed. |
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