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#米饭过敏#
Related topics are on the hot search
Aroused many netizens to discuss:
Someone is allergic to rice?
In fact
Rice allergies are not uncommon
In addition to rice,
"What outrageous allergens have you seen"?
Netizen messages are eye-opening:
Why does rice cause allergies?
Are food allergies and food intolerances the same thing?
Which foods are most likely to cause allergies?
How to tell and prevent food allergies?
Let's take a look↓
Rice allergies are not unique
Allergies to fish, shrimp, mango, eggs, etc
It's not new,
But who would have thought,
Rice that is inseparable from almost every meal,
Can it also be sensitized?
Although rice is not a common allergen,
But cases of rice allergies are not uncommon.
Rice allergy case report
Case 1: According to media reports in 2022, a 2-year-old girl in Jilin Province had a long-term cough after weaning off breast milk, and she did not recover after seeing a doctor and taking medicine for more than half a year. The child saw a fifth doctor before the allergen was detected. The first level of allergen classification includes rice, wheat, etc.
Case 2: According to media reports in 2023, Mr. Wu, who works in Shanghai, has been plagued by diarrhea for many years, and has tried drugs to adjust intestinal flora and regulate immune function, but his symptoms have not improved. On the advice of his doctor, he underwent a test called "ingestion allergen screening", and the results were jaw-dropping for him and his family - rice allergy!
A food allergy is an overprotective immune response from the body's immune system to certain foods that enter the body. An allergy to rice may be caused by the production of IgE antibodies against specific proteins in rice, which, when ingested again, cause mast cells to release mediators such as histamine, triggering an allergic reaction.
furthermore
Depending on the pathogenesis,
Food allergies can also be roughly divided into two categories,
Symptoms also vary:
IgE-mediated food allergies are generally immediate
That is, allergic symptoms appear within 1-2 hours after eating, which can involve multiple organ systems, and typical symptoms include skin wheals, edema, vomiting, abdominal pain, wheezing, and even syncope shock.
Non-IgE-mediated food allergies are generally late-onset
That is, allergic symptoms appear a few hours to a few days after eating, and such allergic diseases mostly occur in infants and young children, and the main clinical symptoms are concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract.
Food allergies ≠ food intolerances
If there is a suspicion of an allergy to a certain food
The surest way
It was to go to the hospital for diagnosis
What symptoms are present
Suspicion or high vigilance is required
Could it be an allergy?
Compare the chart below:
(Source: Department of Allergy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University)
The diagnosis and severity of acute food allergy should be confirmed by a professional physician through the patient's symptoms, medical history, and laboratory tests, and the use of anti-allergic drugs such as antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, oral or topical glucocorticoids, and epinephrine.
It is worth mentioning that people can easily confuse food allergies with other types of adverse food reactions, so that they often count various uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, acid reflux, palpitation, and headache after eating on food allergies, but in real life, a large part of them are not real food allergies.
Medically speaking, adverse food reactions that do not involve the immune system and are not usually caused by food proteins are called food intolerances.
Attention!
Food allergies and food intolerances
It's not the same thing:
As mentioned earlier, food allergies are generally mediated by IgE and belong to type I allergies.
It is characterized by rapid onset, usually not directly related to the intake of specific foods, allergic symptoms can appear in small amounts, and the symptoms are relieved quickly after drug treatment.
Food intolerance, on the other hand, is mediated by IgG and belongs to type III allergies.
It is characterized by a delayed onset of the disease, which can appear hours or days after eating, and is quantitatively dependent and cumulative with the intake of specific foods. Food intolerances can be managed and symptoms relieved by food diaries, elimination diets, and alternative choices.
Source: The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
Which foods are most susceptible to allergies?
Speaking of allergies
What foods come to mind first?
Fruit? Egg? Or seafood?
Types of food allergens
Much more than you think!
As of April 2022, the official website of the Allergen Nomenclature Branch of the International Union of Immunology has identified as many as 401 food allergens.
Among them, the common key food allergens abroad:
What are the differences between the most common allergenic foods for mainland residents?
In August 2022, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Weekly Report published five research papers on food allergies.
One of the studies was a multicenter cross-sectional epidemiological survey conducted in Jiangxi Province in 2020, with prevalence rates of 1.95%, 1.22%, 1.07%, 0.68%, 0.49%, 0.35%, 0.34% and 0.25%, respectively.
（资料来源：Methods and Applications: A Methodology of Epidemiologic Study in the General Population Focusing on Food Allergy — China, 2020。 图表翻译：顾中一工作室）
Another meta-analysis of 24 cross-sectional studies based on the epidemiology of food allergies in China from 2000 to 2021 found that 27% of people with allergies in mainland China were allergic to crabs and eggs, 22% to milk, 19% to shellfish, 16% to shrimp, 16% to fruit (15% to mango) and 15% to fish according to different food classifications.
The conclusions of the two studies are broadly consistent. Are you one of the people with food allergies mentioned above?
Prevent food allergies
Do these five things well
01
Do not eat foods that contain allergens
Reasonable dietary avoidance is the main method of food allergy treatment. When buying food on a daily basis, we need to pay special attention to the ingredients and labels.
According to the current standards in mainland China, the label of prepackaged food labels labels 8 allergens: cereals containing gluten and their products, crustaceans and their products, fish and their products, eggs and their products, peanuts and their products, soybeans and their products, milk and dairy products, nuts and nuts and their kernel products.
02
Beware of concealed allergens
The presence of some allergens is often difficult to detect, such as those that are not normally present and introduced in the case of cross-contamination, which can cause allergies.
In addition, the processing method can also affect the allergenicity of food, such as peanuts will undergo various complex physical and chemical changes in different processing processes, which can change the content and structure of peanut allergens to varying degrees, etc., increasing or decreasing the allergenicity of peanuts.
03
Choose alternative foods wisely
For children and adults, not eating foods containing allergens can disrupt the balance of the diet, so use alternative foods as well.
(1) Swapping the same kind of food. For example, people who are allergic to gluten-containing grains (such as wheat) should choose the same cereal potatoes and gluten-free foods as alternatives, such as rice, millet, corn, quinoa, potatoes, etc.
(2) Diversification of alternative foods. Each food has a different nutrient profile, and only by eating a variety of foods can you achieve a balanced diet without eating a certain food.
For infants and young children who rely on breast milk as a staple food, appropriate alternative foods should be chosen. When parents choose formula food for special medical purposes, they should choose a regular product approved by the state and use it under the advice and guidance of a clinician or clinical dietitian.
04
Don't be blind
Some people have suspected allergies and make their own judgment that they have an allergy to a specific food without seeking medical attention, and then strictly avoid eating them, which will affect the balance of their diet in the long run.
It is advisable to seek diagnosis from a clinician to identify the allergens before deciding which foods to avoid.
05
Replenish deficiencies in nutrients
Skipping one or more foods will lead to a lack of corresponding nutrients in the body, so you should eat more foods that can make up for the nutrients, or use corresponding supplements under the guidance of your doctor.
For example, people with milk allergies may not drink milk for a long time may lead to insufficient calcium intake, and they need to eat more eggs, tofu, shrimp skin and other calcium-rich foods.
Source: Guangzhou Daily Comprehensive Health Appointment, Weibo Hot Search, Public Health Magazine, Healthy China, People's Daily Health Client, Official Account of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine News