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Today, some 32 million Americans suffer from food allergies, more than ever. The CDC reports that one in 13 children – or about two students per class – has a food allergy. The question is: what is causing this epidemic?
In an article published today in the journal Cell, four Yale immunobiologists suggest that over-activation of our food quality control system is largely to blame for the increased prevalence of food allergies. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods To Eat Right Now.)
Prior to this research, a dominant theory suggested that the absence of natural pathogens, such as parasites in the modern environment, could cause our bodies to become hypersensitive to certain foods. After all, our immune system has evolved over time to deal with such natural threats, and now that we don’t encounter them, it is responding to something we encounter every day: food.
Now, immunobiologists say that our current system of food quality control, which is designed to protect us from consuming harmful foods, may be the reason why so many Americans develop allergies to common foods. Between the unnatural substances found in heavily processed foods and the environmental chemicals in dishwashing detergents, for example – in addition to the lack of natural microbial exposure – all of them disrupt the food quality control program.
So how does this affect you or your loved ones? Think of it this way: how are we supposed to deal with these unconscious allergies Why it happens?
“We can’t devise ways to prevent or treat food allergies until we fully understand the underlying biology,” said co-author Ruslan Medzhitov, Sterling professor of immunobiology and researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in a statement shared with Eat this, not that! “You can’t be a good auto mechanic if you don’t know how a normal car works.”
There is a type of immune system response that kicks in when we ingest toxins and works to neutralize the threat. However, this same response also triggers allergies – both environmental and food. Again, this hypersensitivity to pollen and gluten – for example – occurs due to the lack of real natural threats (parasites) in today’s food system.
According to this original theory, this immune response targets harmless proteins present in certain food groups, such as those present in the 8 major food allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soybeans).
However, Yale researchers are now theorizing that three other environmental factors have influenced the quality control system of natural foods, arguing that they have also contributed significantly to the hypersensitivity of our immune system to various foods.
“One factor is the increased use of hygiene products and overuse of antibiotics and, second, a change in diet and increased consumption of processed foods with reduced exposure to naturally grown foods and a change in composition. of the gut microbiome, ”Medzhitov said.
“Finally, the introduction of food preservatives and environmental chemicals such as dish detergents has introduced new things that the immune system must watch out for.”
In short, the authors of this article propose that these behaviors are what the immune system attacks food proteins the same way it attacks toxic substances.
Until more research is done and we have more clarity on the steps we can take on a daily basis to reduce our exposure to these man-made substances and chemicals, what better reason to limit your food intake even further? transformed?
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