A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Dietary Intake of Adults Attending a Food Allergy Clinic, and Compare the Results Against the Final Diagnostic Outcome

Background: The impact of poor diet on growth and development in children with a food allergy is well-recognized and researched. Food allergy is an increasing problem in adults, as are food intolerances. Another issue is the rising number of individuals adopting a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Studies evaluating the diet of adolescents and adults with food allergy against controls suggest their dietary intakes are similar. We wished to evaluate all patients attending a food allergy clinic to determine whether there were dietary and nutritional differences between those with a food allergy or a food intolerance.Methods: All adults newly referred to a secondary care food allergy clinic in a UK hospital, in a 1-month period, were included in the study. Prior to their appointment, those who consented to take part had their height and weight documented and an assessment made of their habitual food intake. Their subsequent diagnosis was reviewed, and results for those with a confirmed diagnosis of food allergy were compared to those with a food intolerance or where the cause of symptoms was unknown.Results: Thirty subjects were recruited, with full results available for 29 subjects, 15 of whom (52%) were diagnosed with a new/existing food allergy (FA). For the whole cohort, dietary intake was sufficient for protein, and most vitamins and minerals, whereas energy, carbohydrate, unsaturated fat and fiber intakes were well-below the reference range. Those with a FA had lower intakes of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 compared to those with no FA. In addition, iron and energy intakes were depleted in those avoiding nuts, and wheat avoidance was linked to a lower intake of riboflavin.Conclusion: The results from this small exploratory study suggest that whilst the majority of nutrients in the diet are sufficient in adults presenting to the food allergy clinic, intakes of energy and fiber may be below the reference range. Those with a food allergy are more likely to have a reduced intake of iron, zinc and vitamin B12. As others have demonstrated, the exclusion of specific food groups can also affect nutritional intakes.

Determination of Specific IgG to Identify Possible Food Intolerance in Athletes Using ELISA

Nutrition is considered one of the foundations of athletic performance, and post-workout nutritional recommendations are fundamental to the effectiveness of the recovery and adaptive processes. Therefore, at present, new directions in dietetics are being formed, focused on the creation of personalized diets. To identify the probable risk of somatic and allergic reactions upon contact with food antigens, we used the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative determination of IgG antibodies in the blood plasma of athletes against protein–peptide antigens accommodated in food. The study enrolled 40 athletes of boating and fighting sport disciplines. We found that the majority of the studied participants were characterized by an elevated IgG level against one or two food allergens (barley, almond, strawberry, etc.). Comparative analysis of the semiquantitative levels of IgG antibodies in athletes engaged in boating and fighting did not reveal significant differences between these groups. As a result, foods that are likely to cause the most pronounced immune response amongst the studied participants can be identified, which may indicate the presence of food intolerances. An athlete’s diet is influenced by both external and internal factors that can reduce or worsen the symptoms of a food intolerance/allergy associated with exercise. The range of foods is wide, and the effectiveness of a diet depends on the time, the place, and environmental factors. Therefore, during the recovery period (the post-competition period), athletes are advised to follow the instructions of doctors and nutritionists. An effective, comprehensive recovery strategy during the recovery period may enhance the adaptive response to fatigue, improving muscle function and increasing exercise tolerance. The data obtained may be useful for guiding the development of a new personalized approach and dietary recommendations covering the composition of athletes’ diet and the prevalence of food intolerance.

Non-IgE Mediated Hypersensitivity to Food Products or Food Intolerance—Problems of Appropriate Diagnostics

The diagnosis of food intolerance is tricky due to the different etiologies of adverse reactions. There is also a lack of clear rules for interpreting alternative tests used to diagnose these problems. The analyses of IgG4 concentration in serum or cytotoxic tests became the basis of elimination diets. However, it can result in nutritional deficiencies and loss of tolerance to eliminated foods. Our study aimed to assess the necessity of food elimination in four cases with food intolerance symptoms based on alternative diagnostic tests. Four patients without food allergies, who manifested diverse clinical symptoms after food, were presented due to the following factors: clinical history, diagnostic tests, elimination diet, and filaggrin gene (FLG) mutation. It was found that higher IgG4 levels against foods and higher cytotoxic test values are not clinically relevant in each of the studied individuals. They should not be decisive for the elimination of food products. The study of FLG-SNVs revealed the association of some clinical symptoms in patients with hypersensitivity to several food allergens and reported genetic variants in the FLG gene.

Gluten intolerance and hashimoto thyroiditis: an integrated review

The advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago enabled the massive and widespread use of grains containing gluten in food. Thus, it represented an evolutionary challenge that has not yet been overcome and created the conditions for the development of diseases related to exposure to gluten in humans. The so-called hypersensitivity involves any abnormal reaction resulting from eating a particular food. We are now looking at another interesting phenomenon that is causing great confusion among healthcare professionals. The number of individuals embracing a gluten-free diet appears far greater than the predicted number of celiac patients, fueling a global gluten-free product market approaching $2.5 billion (US) in global sales in 2010. This trend is supported by the notion that, along with celiac disease, other conditions related to gluten intake have emerged as health concerns. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease and the most common cause of hypothyroidism in our environment. It occurs with high familial aggregation and there seems to be a clear genetic predisposition, with an apparent autosomal dominant inheritance of autoantibodies in affected individuals. Food intolerance and allergies and intestinal permeability can accompany hypothyroidism. Food (food intolerance and allergies), bacteria, viruses, chemicals, excess bacterial growth in the intestine, intestinal permeability, and contaminants are the main culprits for the autoimmune thyroid disease – Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Sports Nutrition: Diets, Selection Factors, Recommendations

An athlete’s diet is influenced by external and internal factors that can reduce or exacerbate exercise-induced food intolerance/allergy symptoms. This review highlights many factors that influence food choices. However, it is important to remember that these food choices are dynamic, and their effectiveness varies with the time, location, and environmental factors in which the athlete chooses the food. Therefore, before training and competition, athletes should follow the recommendations of physicians and nutritionists. It is important to study and understand the nutritional strategies and trends that athletes use before and during training or competitions. This will identify future clinical trials that can be conducted to identify specific foods that athletes can consume to minimize negative symptoms associated with their consumption and optimize training outcomes.

Food Intolerance: The Role of Histamine

Histamine is a natural amine derived from L-histidine. Although it seems that our knowledge about this molecule is wide and diverse, the importance of histamine in many regulatory processes is still enigmatic. The interplay between different types of histamine receptors and the compound may cause ample effects, including histamine intoxication and so-called histamine intolerance or non-allergic food intolerance, leading to disturbances in immune regulation, manifestation of gastroenterological symptoms, and neurological diseases. Most cases of clinical manifestations of histamine intolerance are non-specific due to tissue-specific distribution of different histamine receptors and the lack of reproducible and reliable diagnostic markers. The diagnosis of histamine intolerance is fraught with difficulties, in addition to challenges related to the selection of a proper treatment strategy, the regular course of recovery, and reduced amelioration of chronic symptoms due to inappropriate treatment prescription. Here, we reviewed a history of histamine uptake starting from the current knowledge about its degradation and the prevalence of histamine precursors in daily food, and continuing with the receptor interactions after entering and the impacts on the immune, central nervous, and gastrointestinal systems. The purpose of this review is to build an extraordinarily specific method of histamine cycle assessment in regard to non-allergic intolerance and its possible dire consequences that can be suffered.

Symptomatic endometriosis in women of fertile age through the prism of autoimmunization to food allergens

The article provides a systematic review of the scientific publications, manuals and recommendations over the past 10 years devoted to the problem of endometriosis. The systematization of information about the etiopathogenetic mechanisms of the development of pathology and the data of multidisciplinary analysis of the carbohydrate metabolism disorders and food intolerance in the course of symptomatic endometriosis was carried out.Endometriosis is one of the most common benign gynecological proliferative pathologies in women around the world. Studying the structure of the rate of symptomatic endometriosis, a higher incidence of carbohydrate metabolism disorders and food intolerance was found in this group of patients. The incidence of endometriosis, the prevalence of carbohydrate metabolism disorders and autoimmunization demonstrate a significant tendency towards growth and «rejuvenation», which is undoubtedly a consequence of poor nutrition and lifestyle, excessive consumption of carbohydrate products, as well as social characteristics of the life of a modern woman.According to the current scientific evidence, carbohydrate metabolism disorders are associated with autoimmunization and immune dysfunction. Based on the analysis of literature data and the results of our own retrospective observations, the role of carbohydrate metabolism disorders and autoimmunization with food allergens (gluten, fructose, lactose) in the manifestation and progression of symptomatic endometriosis was revealed. Due to the violation of the interaction between the endocrine and immune axes of regulation of the female reproductive system as a result of systematic autoimmunization with certain aggressive food components, which can act as endocrine disruptors and secondary neuroendocrine messengers, women with food intolerance and carbohydrate metabolism disorders have a worse course of endometriosis and a higher course of endometriosis risks.Normalization of carbohydrate metabolism by using an elimination diet with the exclusion of disinfectant products is the topic of this article and the direction of the search for an effective and acceptable algorithm for the treatment of endometriosis.