Food Allergies – How to Safeguard Against Them
Wojciech Wiśniewski
2026-03-18
8 min. read
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Over the past twenty years, a notable increase in cases of food allergies has been recorded. Currently, the issue of food allergic reactions affects around 10% of the population. Food allergies can occur in all age groups, but they are most commonly observed among children (6-8%). The most frequently diagnosed allergy in children is to milk and dairy products. A possible cause for the sudden increase in immune system disorders could be a disruption in the balance of the gut microbiota. Is an elimination diet an effective method to combat food allergies? How can one identify a food allergy? Is it possible to recover from an allergy? Can one prevent the occurrence of allergies?
Identifying and Defining Food Allergy: Classification, Symptoms, and Causes
Food allergy is a set of symptoms that occur as a result of an overly intense reaction of the immune system to a specific allergen, which is food. The immune response is inappropriate and disproportionate to the stimulus that caused it. It can be caused, among other things, by excessive cleanliness and living in an overly sterile environment, in which less contact with parasites, bacteria, and fungi does not adequately stimulate the body and causes it to react too strongly to potentially harmless stimuli. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2011 found that children living in the countryside have allergies less frequently (due to the greater biological diversity and lower environmental pollution) compared to children living in cities. Two types of allergies are distinguished: IgE-dependent and IgE-independent. IgE (immunoglobulin E) is a class of antibodies that "fight" against the allergen after its entry into the body. The symptoms of IgE-dependent allergy usually appear immediately (on average, it is from a few minutes to a maximum of 2 hours) after consuming the allergen, even if it is in small amounts. In the case of delayed allergy (delayed IgE-independent food allergy), symptoms appear with a significant delay - they may occur a few hours or even days after eating food. Food allergy should not be confused with food intolerance, as they arise through different mechanisms, manifest themselves differently, and have different effects on health.
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