food allergy doctor discusses
​allergies and weight loss

​I can’t wait to eat this delicious dip, but wait…I think she said she put some milk in it. Sigh…I guess I can’t have it. Ugh! I hate having so many food allergies.

Four percent of adults in the United States have a food allergy and about 5% of children have a food allergy; however many, many more have what are called food sensitivities or food intolerances.

Food allergies, sensitives, and intolerances account for many of the chronic conditions that Americans are fighting. For instance, in our office, we had a patient who could not seem to lose weight, and once we tested, identified and eliminated his food allergy, he lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks. 

Food allergies and sensitives can cause chronic inflammation which can create all sorts of unwanted symptoms like cold symptoms, mucous, digestive issues, headaches, weight gain, pain and more. 

What is a food allergy? Great question.

A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system which involves two features of the human immune response. The first response is the production of the immunoglobulin E (IgE).

This protein circulates throughout the blood stream to find any foreign material in the body and/or to search for any material that caused harm to the body. The second response that the body sends the mast cell, a specific cell that occurs in all body tissues but is especially common in areas of the body that are typical sites of allergic reactions, including the nose and throat, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. The role of a mast cell is protection against foreign materials in the tissues. If there is any threat to a foreign material in the tissues, the mast cell will release histamine to attract other defenders from the immune system; however, this results in the itching and/or breaking out of the skin that is associated in a food allergy.

There are several foods that are commonly cause an allergic reaction. The list is:

• Peanuts (the most common and the most serve of reactions that can lead to a sudden drop in blood pressure)
• Tree Nuts such as walnuts
• Shellfish such as shrimp, lobster, crab
• Milk
• Eggs

​What causes an individual to have a food allergy? There are several different theories in the medical community. There are three popular theories:

1. Genes may be Affected
2. No breakdown of Allergens
3. Microorganism of the Gut.

Researchers have discovered one of the factors to food allergies are that genes may not function properly if the body does not properly break down food in the gut.  The reason is that the immune system in the gut does not recognize the food molecules, if they are not broken down properly or if the food was modified to begin with. ​

The gut immune system creates an allergenic reaction to the food, which can also cause a decrease in stomach acidity.

The last theory involves the composition of the microorganisms in the gut. If the balance of microorganisms in the gut is altered by things like antibiotics, this can negatively impact your body’s ability to process foods.  

Do you think you have a food allergy? If you do, do you want to know the root cause of the reason for the food allergy? Come visit our food allergy doctors in Alpharetta to assess the differential diagnosis of food allergies. Our food allergy doctors in Alpharetta will determine if you truly have a food allergy through our food allergy skin test as well as blood work. Call 770-667-0099 in order to schedule an appointment with our food allergy doctors in Alpharetta.