Last month, a literature review article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that "the evidence for the prevalence and management of food allergy is greatly limited by a lack of uniformity for criteria for making a diagnosis." Tests commonly used to help diagnose food allergies may be improperly used or misinterpreted -- and some people with an intolerance for a food (such as lactose intolerance) may incorrectly classify themselves as having a 'food allergy.'
A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system. Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, shellfish, and soy are all ordinary foods that can have serious consequences if eaten by an allergic person. In this segment, we'll talk about what's known about how food allergies work, how to diagnose and treat them, and new research in the field.
Produced by Charles Bergquist, Director and Contributing Producer