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DISCLAIMER: The following commentary is based on opinion, and should be considered as such. Since it cannot account for your specific physical situation or medical condition, information presented in either the video or written formats of this commentary is not intended to substitute for individualized medical advice from a physician, or other qualified health professional.

 

Food Allergy and Sensitivities (Part 2 of 2)

By John H. Biggs BSc, NCP - Owner Optimum Health Vitamins

The immune system is often thought of as being very specific in its activity. Yet, the inflammatory molecules produced by immune responses, (think “red, hot, and swollen”), can be common across many conditions and tissues. And though they may be most concentrated at a particular site in the body, they most often still affect your whole system. In other words, it is much more useful to think of inflammation as a generalized phenomenon, rather than as site-specific, and this definitely applies to allergies…whether you’re talking the fast-onset histaminic type of seasonal allergies, or delayed-onset reactions to something you consume….or a combination of both.

Since many health challenges and outcomes are actually due to the inflammatory response itself, like a fire that starts in one part of the house and spreads to the others, inflammation from one condition may aggravate or lead to others. Such is the case with asthma and allergies for example. [1]

Another more obscure, but very relevant example is the way in which inflammation associated with allergies can cause fat gain. “Well that’s a stretch” you might say… but just follow the relationships. Inflammation causes/worsens insulin resistance, which results in higher levels of insulin, (because you need more to get the message through). Yet, high levels of insulin are, in turn, also very inflammatory, [2], and so the two effects add to each other, creating a vicious feed-forward cycle. Meanwhile, the higher your insulin is, the more likely you are to store fat, and fat also secretes a range of inflammatory molecules, which, in turn, worsen the insulin resistance again, which raises the insulin, and so on, and so on. (For a good review of some of these relationships, see reference [3] below.)

Hence, increasing any one of inflammation, OR fat stores, OR insulin makes all three more likely. So can adding to your levels of inflammation because of allergies increase your tendency to gain fat? You bet it can, and this is without even considering the effect of triggering our stress response when allergies get bad! Hence, stemming the tide of inflammation brought on by allergies, and immune responses to food is far reaching in its importance, because of the number of other problems it can aggravate, not the least of which are inflammatory gut, and digestive problems…which, in turn make such immune responses more likely. (A similar kind of feed-forward relationship)

If this sounds like a bunch of gobbledy-gook, be aware that understanding how such cyclical mechanisms add to and feed on each other, (where one worsens the other, which worsens the former, which worsens another, and so on…), is key to effectively dealing with many modern-day health challenges.

Given that we are exposed to incoming foreign material in our gut every time we eat, it is not surprising that 70-80% of the body’s immune tissue is located here. With all this immune tissue present, neither is it surprising that this is where many, many, inflammatory events in the body have their origin, and many begin with a reaction to something we have consumed.

When something travels down our gut, our immune system samples it, and then goes through a process of tolerance…or not! Our immune cells basically decide, “Yah, this can pass.” Or “Sound the alarm, get ready, its coming!” The inflammatory immune response that follows can travel into the gut, and cause inflammation on site, or the response can be passed along further in the immune system, where other immune cells produce antibodies, which then stick-on to the allergen, and create a defensive inflammatory cascade. The problem is when this is a delayed-onset reaction, (producing IgG antibodies), it can take up to three days for this to happen. So tell me: what did you eat in the last three days that you are reacting to now????*$%* Most people respond with “How would I know?” Well, you can get a blood test to check for the presence of such antibodies, but there are also some simple questions you can ask yourself to help you narrow down the culprits, and then you can simply discontinue the foods you suspect are most likely the problems. Many are absolutely shocked at the difference this can make in their energy and how they feel. But before we get to the list of questions, and the ‘most likely to cause problems’ list, let me make a few more comments.

As we talked about last month, of prime importance for reducing reactivity of the gut, and/or the overall immune system, (which often amounts to one and the same thing), are probiotics [4] and vitamin D. Also extremely important is the function of the liver. When the liver is congested, overloaded, and or deficient in the nutritional or metabolic factors it requires to do its job, it can have a tendency to only partially detoxify substances. Unfortunately, such substances, called reactive intermediates, can be even more noxious than the original was, and if they spill out the windows of the factory, so to speak, and into the bloodstream, they can really get the immune system upset, and reactive. Hence for allergies one natural approach that pays great dividends for sufferers is to make sure the liver has what it requires to detoxify fully, so the detox assembly line doesn’t get backed up, and all phases of liver detox can be fully completed. (Interestingly, imbalanced detoxification is almost always involved for those with chemical sensitivities)

In this regard, it is essential to make sure you are getting enough high quality protein, in your diet, as there are several amino acids for proper liver detox. Regarding supplements, the following can also be very supportive individually, or in combinations: Milk Thistle, NAC, schizandra, alpha-lipoic acid, artichoke, as well as a good multivitamin and/or B-vitamins to address the issue of what is called “methylation.” Though it is usually talked about to do with cardiovascular health, methylation from B- vitamins, among others, is also essential for proper liver function.

And as I often say: the gut and liver are glued together. What affects one, affects the other. There are many anti-inflammatory botanicals such as goldenseal, cat’s claw, slippery elm or licorice/DGL, which can soothe the gut-lining, and/or many such herbs that can have similar calming anti-inflammatory effects on the immune system…which in turn calms the gut, which in turn calms the liver, etc., etc. In this regard, as discussed in part 1 of this article series, I have found DDS Acidophilus and Opti Immune C&F to be the most helpful and fastest.

But if I had to name one supplement I have seen be effective for calming for the gut, and to have more far-reaching effects that any other in this regard, it would be Natural Factors meal replacement called “Revital-x”. In terms of helping health challenges which commonly have their origins in these delayed-onset food sensitivities or allergies, and gut reactivity, this is the product I would try first. Problems it can be helpful for include those established as being caused by such reactions including: Asthma, eczema, migraines, and/or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). [5] I would add to this list virtually any inflammatory skin condition including Psoriasis, or any gut condition including leaky-gut syndrome. (This problem can be a major cause of reactivity, because when the gut gets too porous, and particles of food that are not properly broken down are absorbed, the immune system reacts.)

Lastly, but in no way of least importance, is the issue of making sure your bowels are emptying properly and completely. I have often experienced gut and allergy symptoms to be helped literally over night with supplements such as Opti Colon Clean, or others which help you evacuate properly. Again, this is not surprising, as a backed-up colon makes more work/congestion for the liver. So, never underestimate the importance of having a good poop :)

As for the foods and/or drinks which are most likely to cause immediate or delayed onset allergies, obviously things like Peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and many yeasts and moulds are capable of causing extreme and immediate reactions, OR delayed reactions. But the leaders in the delayed-onset variety of reactions are definitely Wheat, (i.e. gluten), and its cousins, or other grains, and Dairy, (i.e. casein, and occasionally whey). Other close runners-up are things like Soy, Corn, or Eggs, or the Nightshade Family of Vegetables, including Potatoes, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Egg Plant, Paprika and others. Yet if you cut out grains, particularly wheat, and dairy, (with the possible exception of plain, organic yogurt, depending on how sensitive you are), you will have accounted for well over half the reactions of this sort. This doesn’t mean that you definitely have a problem with any of these foods, these are just the foods with the highest reaction rates.

Also worth mentioning are definitely Coffee and Tea, which I have seen cause some drastic reactions, which quit when consumption ceased, and resumed when it started again. Alcoholic beverages are another source of grief for people that often go unconsidered, yet it often isn’t necessarily the alcohol itself that’s the problem, but rather the base or form that it’s in.

I would say the same applies for caffeine. After all, coffee is a “burnt beverage”,i.e. roasted till it changes colour, and burnt foods are a source of immune responses. But, the issue of reactions to cooked foods will have to wait for another article.

Here’s to living better! 

Questions to help you determine what foods you are most likely reacting to:

1. What foods do I eat every day? (Our genes were never developed like this.)
2. What foods do I crave, if any? (Though a craving can indicate a biochemical need, a constant, insatiable craving for a particular food is a good sign you have antibodies for it in your bloodstream.)
3. What are my favourite foods? ( Some people never go without a food for long enough to crave it.)
4. What foods make me thirsty? (It can also be that what you ate was particularly high-sodium, or salty, but in the absence of this, excessive thirst is a good sign that you are reacting to something.)
5. What foods make me tired? (Though this can be related to blood-sugar spikes, and the corresponding insulin crashes, fatigue is a classic sign of an immune response)
6. What foods give me purple marks under my eyes? (Immune responses beget poor oxygen utilization, and acidity. Increases in acidity of the body and blood kick oxygen off the haemoglobin molecule, and the blood gets darker. The eye sockets are a quick place to observe this.
7. What foods give me a noticeable rise in blood pressure and/or pulse-rate within 30 minutes or more of consuming them?  (Also, a typical immune response to food that you are reacting to.)

References

1. Allergies and asthma: They often occur together. A Mayo Clinic specialist explains the connection…, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/allergies-and-asthma/AA00045
2. Fishel M.A., Watson G.S., Montine T.J., et al. Hyperinsulinemia Provokes Synchronous Increases in Central Inflammation and beta-Amyloid in Normal Adults. Arch Neurol. 2005;62:(doi:10.1001/archneur.62.10.noc50112)
3. Wellen K.E., and Hotamisligil G.S.. Dept of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health. Review: Inflammation, stress, and diabetes. J Clin Invest. Volume 115, issue5 (May 2, 2005). Copyright 2004.
4. Spiller R, Campbell E: in Post Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Anti-inflammatory Effects of Probiotics; Current Opin Gastroenterology. 2006;22(1):13-17
5. Meletis C, Barker J: Delayed Onset Food Allergies; Alternative & Complementary Therapies; April 2003 pp61-65
6. Hansen I, Klimek L, Mosges R, Hormann K: Mediators of Inflammation in the Early and Late Phase of Allergic Rhinitus; Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004;4(3)
7. Lennart Cedgard MD, Anna Widell BSc. The Intestinal Microflora, the Immune System and Probiotics. Wasa Medicals, Gothenburg. http://www.wasamedicals.com/pdf/ref_smj_eng.pdf