Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
As I try to navigate this maze of possible triggers, almost every food has become suspect. I had allergy testing done when I was a teenager, and though I reacted to quite a few allergens, I had no food allergies at all. Can you have a GI reaction to a food without actually being allergic to it? I am already GF/DF and have decided to eliminate soy and peanuts to see how I do (I seem to have a mild reaction the day after eating peanut butter, even the GF/SF kind). I am also down to half a pill (25 mg) of Zoloft and trying to wean off it completely over the next few weeks (if I just stop taking it, I get dizzy).
Cynthia
Food allergies vs. sensitivities
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
-
draperygoddess
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 558
- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:49 am
- Location: Tennessee
-
karenswans
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 104
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:12 am
Cynthia,
Yes, you can have a non-allergic reaction to foods (and also, most food allergy testing is pretty unreliable, or so I hear). The kind of reaction we have to gluten (and dairy and soy, if we react) has to do with antibodies, and tends to "hit" something like 20 hours after we eat it. A "true food allergy" can be life threatening, leading to anaphylaxis. Many things can cause this - shellfish are kind of famous for it in some people, and nut allergies can be like this, too. But I have a neighbor who has that sort of reaction to onions, and another to all kinds of fish. In those situations, an epi-pen can be a lifesaver. But for inadvertent gluten eating... the body responds with a full immune response, as though it's trying to fight a pathogenic invader.
Hope this helps... it's not exactly scientific, but it's kind of a useful way to think about it, for me.
Sara
Yes, you can have a non-allergic reaction to foods (and also, most food allergy testing is pretty unreliable, or so I hear). The kind of reaction we have to gluten (and dairy and soy, if we react) has to do with antibodies, and tends to "hit" something like 20 hours after we eat it. A "true food allergy" can be life threatening, leading to anaphylaxis. Many things can cause this - shellfish are kind of famous for it in some people, and nut allergies can be like this, too. But I have a neighbor who has that sort of reaction to onions, and another to all kinds of fish. In those situations, an epi-pen can be a lifesaver. But for inadvertent gluten eating... the body responds with a full immune response, as though it's trying to fight a pathogenic invader.
Hope this helps... it's not exactly scientific, but it's kind of a useful way to think about it, for me.
Sara
Cynthia,
This is a confusing issue, and believe it or not, only a handful of allergists, immunologists, and gastroenterologists in this country actually understand the difference, and the connections involved. It would take a book to explain this in detail, but here are the basic facts:
As Sara mentioned, classic food allergies result in the classic allergic response, which can involve a rash, itching, watery eyes, runny nose, and in the more severe cases, throat/bronchial tube restriction, etc., resulting in breathing difficulties, a "flushed" sensation, confusion, heart irregularities, shock, (dangerously low blood pressure), etc., typical of anaphylactic shock. These reactions involve IgE antibodies, so we refer to them as IgE-based reactions. IgE reactions result in the rapid release of histamines, and the histamines circulating in the blood, cause all of the symptoms that are named above. This is primarily the type of reactions that allergists are familiar with, and they primarily involve skin and respiratory system responses.
The food-sensitivities that are connected with MC, are IgA-based reactions, and these antibodies rarely show up in the blood in concentrations sufficient to be detected by conventional blood tests, (that's why the classic celiac blood tests will not detect the anti-gliadin antibodies that are produced when we eat gluten - they rarely show up in the blood, unless we have fully-developed celiac disease, in addition to MC). Unlike IgE antibodies, IgA antibodies do not trigger the release of histamines, so normally, we do not experience any of the classic allergy symptoms when we eat foods to which we are sensitive. Instead, the IgA antibodies trigger the release of T-cells, which accumulate in the mucosa of the intestines, resulting in the inflammation that causes MC.
Now, unfortunately, it's not quite that simple for everyone, because some of us have mast cell involvement with our MC, in addition to the IgA-based reaction. In conventional allergies, the clinical symptoms are caused when mast cells, (which contain histamines), are stimulated to degranulate, (degranulation involves the release of histamines). The intestines also contain large amounts of mast cells. Some people with MC, also have mast cell involvement, such that certain foods trigger the degranulation of mast cells in the intestines. When this happens, it not only causes GI symptoms, but it can also result in some of the classic allergy symptoms, as some of the histamines get into the bloodstream, and cause systemic symptoms, (rash, itching, etc., and occasionally, in severe cases, even involving some degree of anaphylactic shock). IOW, this suggests that some of us have both food-sensitivities, (IgA-based reactions), and food allergies, (IgE-based reactions).
Mastocytic colitis is a type of MC that involves excess numbers of mast cells in the intestines. For some individuals, however, even normal numbers of mast cells in the intestines can lead to mast cell issues. For those individuals, certain foods that contain high levels of histamines can cause a reaction, and foods that promote the release of histamines, (the degranulation of mast cells), can also cause a reaction. Mast cell issues in the intestines were only described a couple of years ago, and they are little understood, so as I mentioned above, few doctors are even aware of the issue, let alone understand how to diagnose and/or treat the condition.
Currently, there are only a handful of medical professionals who are qualified to deal with mast cell issues in the gut, and they are mostly associated with the treatment of mastocytosis, which is a systemic form of mast cell disorder. For MC patients with mast cell issues, type 1 or type 2 antihistamines, (in combination with diet management), seem to provide some degree of control, while cromolyn sodium is helpful for others. Some find it necessary to use a combination of antihistamines and cromolyn sodium treatments in order to obtain relief from symptoms. Don't expect your GI doc, or your local allergist/immunologist to be able to help you if you have mast cell involvement, though. The most reliable source of information on research and professionals that are involved with this issue that I'm aware of, currently, can be found on the mastocytosis society site:
http://tmsforac.ipower.com/dev/
Tex
This is a confusing issue, and believe it or not, only a handful of allergists, immunologists, and gastroenterologists in this country actually understand the difference, and the connections involved. It would take a book to explain this in detail, but here are the basic facts:
As Sara mentioned, classic food allergies result in the classic allergic response, which can involve a rash, itching, watery eyes, runny nose, and in the more severe cases, throat/bronchial tube restriction, etc., resulting in breathing difficulties, a "flushed" sensation, confusion, heart irregularities, shock, (dangerously low blood pressure), etc., typical of anaphylactic shock. These reactions involve IgE antibodies, so we refer to them as IgE-based reactions. IgE reactions result in the rapid release of histamines, and the histamines circulating in the blood, cause all of the symptoms that are named above. This is primarily the type of reactions that allergists are familiar with, and they primarily involve skin and respiratory system responses.
The food-sensitivities that are connected with MC, are IgA-based reactions, and these antibodies rarely show up in the blood in concentrations sufficient to be detected by conventional blood tests, (that's why the classic celiac blood tests will not detect the anti-gliadin antibodies that are produced when we eat gluten - they rarely show up in the blood, unless we have fully-developed celiac disease, in addition to MC). Unlike IgE antibodies, IgA antibodies do not trigger the release of histamines, so normally, we do not experience any of the classic allergy symptoms when we eat foods to which we are sensitive. Instead, the IgA antibodies trigger the release of T-cells, which accumulate in the mucosa of the intestines, resulting in the inflammation that causes MC.
Now, unfortunately, it's not quite that simple for everyone, because some of us have mast cell involvement with our MC, in addition to the IgA-based reaction. In conventional allergies, the clinical symptoms are caused when mast cells, (which contain histamines), are stimulated to degranulate, (degranulation involves the release of histamines). The intestines also contain large amounts of mast cells. Some people with MC, also have mast cell involvement, such that certain foods trigger the degranulation of mast cells in the intestines. When this happens, it not only causes GI symptoms, but it can also result in some of the classic allergy symptoms, as some of the histamines get into the bloodstream, and cause systemic symptoms, (rash, itching, etc., and occasionally, in severe cases, even involving some degree of anaphylactic shock). IOW, this suggests that some of us have both food-sensitivities, (IgA-based reactions), and food allergies, (IgE-based reactions).
Mastocytic colitis is a type of MC that involves excess numbers of mast cells in the intestines. For some individuals, however, even normal numbers of mast cells in the intestines can lead to mast cell issues. For those individuals, certain foods that contain high levels of histamines can cause a reaction, and foods that promote the release of histamines, (the degranulation of mast cells), can also cause a reaction. Mast cell issues in the intestines were only described a couple of years ago, and they are little understood, so as I mentioned above, few doctors are even aware of the issue, let alone understand how to diagnose and/or treat the condition.
Currently, there are only a handful of medical professionals who are qualified to deal with mast cell issues in the gut, and they are mostly associated with the treatment of mastocytosis, which is a systemic form of mast cell disorder. For MC patients with mast cell issues, type 1 or type 2 antihistamines, (in combination with diet management), seem to provide some degree of control, while cromolyn sodium is helpful for others. Some find it necessary to use a combination of antihistamines and cromolyn sodium treatments in order to obtain relief from symptoms. Don't expect your GI doc, or your local allergist/immunologist to be able to help you if you have mast cell involvement, though. The most reliable source of information on research and professionals that are involved with this issue that I'm aware of, currently, can be found on the mastocytosis society site:
http://tmsforac.ipower.com/dev/
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
-
draperygoddess
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Posts: 558
- Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:49 am
- Location: Tennessee
That does explain it pretty well, though.