Hey there, curious minds! Have you ever wondered why some people can’t eat certain foods without getting sick? Today, we’re diving into the world of food allergies to understand what they are and why they’re becoming more common.
Food allergies happen when your body’s immune system mistakenly thinks that a harmless food is a dangerous invader. This can cause a range of reactions, from mild itching to severe breathing problems. For example, if someone is allergic to peanuts, their immune system might react as if peanuts are a threat, leading to symptoms like swelling, hives, or even more serious issues.
It seems like more people have food allergies now than in the past. Scientific studies show that the number of children with food allergies has indeed gone up. Some common allergens include tree nuts like walnuts, almonds, and cashews. These nuts can be found in many foods, so people with allergies have to be extra careful.
Our bodies are made to fight off harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses. However, sometimes the immune system gets confused and attacks harmless food proteins. When this happens, antibodies in the body stick to the food molecules, releasing a chemical called histamine. This can cause symptoms like itching, swelling, and in severe cases, a condition called anaphylaxis, where the whole body reacts.
Yes, adults can suddenly become allergic to foods they’ve eaten for years without any problems. This can be surprising and sometimes scary. If you think you have a new allergy, it’s important to see a doctor who can help figure out what’s going on.
It’s important to know the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. A food intolerance, like lactose intolerance, means your body has trouble digesting certain foods, which can make you feel uncomfortable but isn’t life-threatening. A food allergy, on the other hand, involves the immune system and can be much more serious.
Scientists are still trying to figure out why food allergies happen. One idea is that our immune systems might be overreacting because we live in cleaner environments with fewer parasites. This means our bodies might mistake food proteins for harmful invaders.
Peanut allergies are one of the most common, affecting many kids in the US. Other common allergens include shellfish, which can also cause reactions due to a protein called tropomyosin. This is an example of cross-reactivity, where being allergic to one thing might mean you’re allergic to something similar.
In the past, doctors advised parents to avoid giving young children foods that commonly cause allergies. However, new research suggests that introducing these foods early in small amounts might actually help prevent allergies. If you already have an allergy, there are treatments being developed to help your body get used to the allergen, but always talk to a doctor first.
Even though we know a lot about what causes food allergies, there are still many unanswered questions. Scientists are working hard to find out why they exist and how to cure them. Until then, people with allergies have to be careful about what they eat and where they go.
Remember, every scientific mystery we solve today was once a big question mark. So stay curious, and who knows, maybe one day you’ll help crack the mystery of food allergies!
Create a poster that explains what food allergies are and how they affect people. Use drawings, diagrams, and fun facts to make your poster engaging. Share your poster with the class to help everyone understand the importance of allergy awareness.
In pairs, role-play a scenario where one person has a food allergy and the other is a friend or family member. Discuss how to handle situations like eating out or attending a party. This activity will help you practice empathy and learn how to support someone with allergies.
Go on a scavenger hunt in your kitchen or a grocery store to find common allergens listed on food labels. Make a list of the products you find and discuss why it’s important for people with allergies to read labels carefully.
Interview a healthcare professional or someone who has a food allergy. Prepare questions about their experiences and how they manage allergies. Share your findings with the class to gain a deeper understanding of living with food allergies.
Research common myths about food allergies and present the facts to the class. This activity will help you learn to distinguish between misconceptions and scientific truths about allergies.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Thanks to Curiosity Stream for supporting PBS Digital Studios.
What do we have here? Oh no, those are cashews. Is this like a bowl full of danger for you? Yes, well, cashews aren’t as strong of a reaction for me, but I am allergic to tree nuts. It’s not fun at all.
Hey smart people, Joe here. I recently invited my friend WheezyWaiter to come by and talk about food allergies. Just to clarify, they’re not real cashews; they’re stunt cashews. Of course, you should never trick a friend with food they’re allergic to, but it’s okay—WheezyWaiter and I are friends, and I’m a doctor.
These days, most of us know someone with a food allergy—some food they have to avoid eating or even coming into contact with to prevent a dangerous reaction or even severe consequences. But why are people allergic to food? And why are food allergies on the rise?
It seems like food allergies are more common than they used to be. Well, we’re not imagining things; scientific data backs that up. The percentage of children with food allergies has definitely increased in recent years. I’m allergic to all tree nuts, including walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. Here in Texas, we have pecans everywhere.
That stuff ends up in a lot of different foods, so I imagine you have accidentally encountered this stuff before. I have accidentally encountered almost all those that I listed. What happens is my mouth swells up, my throat swells up, I get hives, and I have difficulty breathing, along with a horrible stomachache that lasts for three hours.
I don’t think about reading labels, which is a significant difference in how we navigate the world. Especially now, it seems like nuts are cropping up in everything, like barbecue sauce or cocktails. To make matters even more confusing, adults can also become allergic to foods they never had issues with as children.
I’m Emily Graslie, the host and creator of the YouTube channel The Brain Scoop, and I work for the Field Museum as their Chief Curiosity Correspondent. I saw on Twitter recently that you aren’t getting along with certain kinds of nuts very well anymore.
Yeah, I’ve never had a problem with any sort of food, but then a weird thing happened. I tried almond milk for the first time, and the next morning, after having it with my cereal, I noticed my nose was dripping, I felt hot and itchy, and I was covered in hives.
Now, a true food allergy is different from a food intolerance. This is really important. If you’re lactose intolerant, you can’t digest cow’s milk, which can make you feel sick. But if you’re allergic to milk, it could be life-threatening. A true allergy is when your body’s immune system reacts to the food on a molecular level, treating it as an invader.
Food is made up of various molecular components, including proteins. Our bodies usually digest food proteins down to their most basic units, but some food proteins don’t get completely broken down and escape into the body, where they meet the immune system.
Your immune system’s job is to recognize protein shapes that come from dangerous invaders, but peanut butter should not cause this reaction. Molecules called antibodies stick to the foreign food molecule, leading to the release of a chemical called histamine, which can cause itching or, in severe cases, anaphylaxis—where the entire body reacts dramatically.
I started looking up whether you can develop an almond or tree nut allergy as an adult, and you can. I made an appointment with an allergist to determine if almonds specifically caused my allergic reaction. We did a food challenge, and nothing happened.
So now, you still have no idea what triggered this reaction. It could be nothing or something else that I ate. In cases like these, even doctors can be stumped. The allergist advised me to operate as though I had a life-threatening tree nut allergy and prescribed me epinephrine, which I have to carry everywhere.
I keep coming back to one basic question: why would our bodies have such extreme reactions? The truth is we don’t know why food allergies exist. There is a leading theory that allergies might exist due to our immune system’s response to parasites. Humans are much cleaner than we used to be, and today we don’t have as many parasites entering our bodies, so perhaps our immune system is overreacting to foreign-looking proteins in our food instead.
Peanut allergies are the most common food allergy, affecting nearly 1 in 40 kids in the US. We know of at least 400 proteins from more than 170 foods that cause allergic reactions, with eight foods accounting for 90% of those.
Many people are allergic to shrimp and other shellfish, and a lot of those people are also allergic to dust mites. Shrimp, shellfish, and dust mites are all invertebrates and trigger allergies due to a protein called tropomyosin, which is very different from anything our bodies produce. This is an example of cross-reactivity; for instance, if you’re allergic to cashews, you might also be allergic to pistachios or mangoes since they’re all in the same plant family.
So how can you avoid food allergies for yourself or your kids? A decade or two ago, doctors recommended not giving young kids foods that commonly trigger allergies for the first few years of their lives. However, that was the wrong advice. Food allergy rates continued to rise, so doctors changed their recommendations. Today’s advice suggests parents should slowly introduce common allergic foods early and in small amounts, and it seems like it’s working.
If you already have a food allergy, unfortunately, there’s no cure. We’re developing treatments to help the immune system get accustomed to allergy-causing foods in small doses. There’s even a sticker that acts like a nicotine patch for peanut allergies. But always consult a doctor before attempting any treatment.
With food allergies, there are still more questions than answers. We know what’s causing them, we know a little about how to prevent them, but we don’t know why they exist or how to cure them. It’s stressful not knowing what caused it and not having a reliable way to test for it.
When you don’t have a food allergy, you take for granted that you can go wherever you want and eat anything. But when you have an allergy, your world shrinks quite a bit. Every restaurant you go to, every lunch you eat—if you didn’t prepare it yourself, you wonder if it contains something that could harm you.
Is it frustrating that people can’t give you an answer about why this happened? Yes, I would love a cure.
Every scientific question we know the answer to today was once a mystery, just like this one. Someday we’ll figure it out. Some nuts are just tougher to crack than others. Stay curious.
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This version removes any potentially sensitive or inappropriate language while maintaining the core content and message of the original transcript.
Food – Substances consumed by organisms to provide energy and nutrients necessary for growth and maintenance. – Eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods helps keep our bodies healthy and strong.
Allergies – Immune system responses to substances that are usually not harmful, like pollen or certain foods. – Some people have allergies to peanuts, which can cause serious health problems if they eat them.
Immune – Relating to the body’s defense system that protects against infections and diseases. – The immune system helps fight off bacteria and viruses that can make us sick.
System – A group of organs or structures in the body that work together to perform a specific function. – The digestive system breaks down food so that the body can absorb nutrients.
Proteins – Large molecules made of amino acids that are essential for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. – Proteins are important for building muscles and repairing tissues in our bodies.
Reactions – Responses of the body to certain stimuli, which can include chemical changes or immune responses. – Allergic reactions can cause symptoms like itching, swelling, and difficulty breathing.
Symptoms – Signs or indications of a condition or disease, often experienced by the patient. – Common symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, and body aches.
Doctor – A medical professional who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries. – If you have a persistent cough, you should see a doctor to find out what might be causing it.
Treatment – Medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury to help them recover. – The treatment for a bacterial infection often includes taking antibiotics prescribed by a doctor.
Prevention – Actions taken to stop something from happening, such as diseases or health problems. – Washing your hands regularly is an important step in the prevention of spreading germs.
