• Question: why would some of us be allergic to certain types of food 🥘?

    Asked by 4L3X to Ciara, Elaine, Golnaz, Gonzalo, Yannis, Yvonne on 9 Nov 2017. This question was also asked by 387fddk26, Thomas L, Luke.
    • Photo: Ciara O'Donovan

      Ciara O'Donovan answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      Allergies are a result of our bodies being over sensitive and reacting to something which is not harmful (such as a food) as if it is harmful. The body thinks it is under attack and is trying to protect itself. The immune system as it thinks it is under attack produces antibodies and these cause certain cells to produce chemicals for example histamines in the body. This then causes reactions which could be annoying such as an itchy throat or more severe. It is not known why some people develop allergies and others don’t.

    • Photo: Gonzalo Delgado-Pando

      Gonzalo Delgado-Pando answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      Because there are some substances in the food that can make our bodies think they are harmful and so it reacts forming an allergy. Most of this substances are different proteins. Not only you can be allergic to food, you can also be allergic to dust mites, cats, horses…
      And don’t get confused between allergy and intolerance. You can be intolerant to lactose in milk or gluten in bread and it has nothing to do with allergy. Some people are both allergic and intolerant to some type of foods.

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