While there is debate about exactly who should be eating what, one thing that we do know for sure is that food allergies are on the rise, and they are changing our relationship with food forever. A food allergy3 occurs when we have an immune-mediated reaction to a food or often a particular part of a food. This is usually mediated by IgE4, an antibody your body makes in response to allergens. Elevated levels of IgE can cause a cascade of reactions such as a skin rash, itching and swelling, dizziness, and the most life-threatening symptom, anaphylaxis (closing of the airways). A food intolerance5, on the other hand, is usually localized to the digestive system. Although it can contribute to other symptoms like headaches and skin irritation, these are not directly caused by the immune system. Food intolerances are also steeply on the rise, but for the purpose of this article, I’m going to stick to the science on food allergies. I’m also seeing a lot more patients seeking help for MCAS, or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. This is a new area without a lot of research yet, but what I do know from observation is that there is an increasing subset of people experiencing significant inflammatory and histamine-driven reactions to many different foods. This makes it very difficult to pinpoint the issue and even harder to treat the condition. You see, in your gut, you have around 2 pounds8 of bacteria, yeasts, and other organisms that play a critical role in your health. We now know that over 80% of your immune system actually resides in your gut9, and it is constantly “tasting” the food and other substances that come through to see if they are safe for you. This immune-gut connection gets started in childhood. There are several studies that link the microbiome of infants to their risk of developing allergies10. Babies inherit their mother’s microbiome, and with each generation, our diversity and microbial health are waning. Factors that can influence a child’s microbiome—and therefore allergy risk—include whether they are breastfed11, how down and dirty they are allowed to get12, whether they live in a home with pets13, and which foods they are introduced to14 in their early years. Antibiotic use also plays a role here. Antibiotics alter the gut microbiome and have been associated with allergy development in children15. A study of nearly 800,000 children found that not only did antibiotics lead to a 14% increase in the risk of developing food allergies and a whopping 51% increase in the risk of having life-threatening anaphylactic allergies, but infants given acid-blocking medication (for reflux and colic) were twice as likely to develop allergies as well16. In addition to overcoming her own personal health struggles, including domestic violence and heroin addiction, Maslen has personally seen over 4,000 patients. She is the founder of the international wellness company Shift, speaks internationally on health and wellness, and has also authored Get Well, Stay Well.
