| May 06, 2010 | Media contact: Tara Hasouris E-mail: tarahaso@umich.edu Phone: 734-764-2220 |
Watch what you eat during Food Allergy Awareness Week
Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 9-15; U-M expert offers prevention tips and announces new Food Allergy Center
|
 |
|
Meet the experts: Learn more:
|
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Food allergies may arise from a variety of sources including eggs, milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish.
According to experts at the University of Michigan Health System, recognition and early treatment of food allergies are important steps in preventing serious reaction symptoms and, in some cases, death.
In recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Week on May 9-15, Matthew Greenhawt, M.D., M.B.A., clinical lecturer in the U-M Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, offers tips on how to value what you chew by monitoring food intake and recognizing problems.
“Food Allergy Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of understanding food allergies and taking extra precautions when handling and consuming food, especially when feeding children,” Greenhawt says.
Food allergy occurs in approximately 4 percent of children 18 years old or under, and in 3.7 percent of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. A recent national study has shown that the prevalence of children with food allergies rose 18 percent between 1997 and 2007.
Watch what you eat:
- Read labels thoroughly. Many labels list ingredients, including common allergens, as mandated by law. If a product doesn’t have a label, or list the ingredients, don’t take a chance it by eating.
- Ask your server. For foods not prepared at home, ask your server how the dish is cooked. If your server isn’t sure about the ingredients, have him or her ask the cook.
- Find substitutes. If you’re allergic to milk, soy may be a good substitute. Instead of wheat pasta, opt for rice or corn pasta alternatives or check for bakeries that specialize in wheat-free bread. For peanut allergy, soy nut butter or sunflower butter can be used to substitute for peanut butter.
- Don’t take risks. When in doubt, avoid the food. To prevent cross-contamination within the household, use separate pans and utensils for foods prepared with allergens.
When a food allergy does arise, it is because the body recognizes the food as a foreign substance and mounts an immune response against it, according to Greenhawt.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include hives, itching, swelling, wheezing, scratchy throat or the sensation of the throat closing, shortness of breath, stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhea.
In the worst case scenarios, food allergies can lead to severe symptoms such as shock, closing of the airway, or even death. These severe reactions are called anaphylaxis.
While there are no present cures for food allergies beyond avoidance and emergency medication to treat symptoms, Greenhawt and colleagues are taking a proactive approach to address the growing food allergy epidemic and spreading awareness of the importance to evaluating what you eat.
Along with Greenhawt, James Baker Jr., M.D., Chief of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at U-M and Marc McMorris, M.D., medical director of the U-M Food Allergy Service and Clinic, are leading the effort in developing a formal Food Allergy Center for U-M's Food Allergy Program.
The goal for the center is to cater to food allergic families by providing advanced resources including comprehensive patient care, clinical and basic research and community outreach-based programs aimed at finding a cure for food allergies.
“With special features including a special food preparation kitchen equipped with special air flow to prevent the spread of food allergens, this is one of the most innovative clinical facilities in the country for food allergy patient care,” Greenhawt says.
The U-M Food Allergy Program has specially trained physicians to provide care for patients with food allergies, a registered dietician to help navigate meal planning, a health education specialist who helps to bridge the gap between the clinic and the community and skilled social workers to provide guidance and advice to cope with food allergy challenges.
“There is hope for treatment and cures on the horizon,” Greenhawt says.
To learn more about the U-M Food Allergy Program and other food allergy-related topics, visit
www.med.umich.edu/foodallergy/.
For more information about Food Allergy Awareness Week, visit
www.foodallergy.org.
Written by Tara Hasouris
RSS
