PRACTICALLY ACTIVE: Food allergies and food intolerances are not same

Strawberries contain citric acid. (Democrat-Gazette file photo/J.T. WAMPLER)
Strawberries contain citric acid. (Democrat-Gazette file photo/J.T. WAMPLER)

For most of my life, my only allergy-like reaction was to any cat in my general vicinity.

My eyes start to water, my nose runs, I sneeze and start itching. I have learned to beat a hasty retreat and wash my hands in case I forget and rub my watery, itchy eyes, which makes a bad situation even worse.

I can usually build up a tolerance if I'm around a cat with any regularity. But in the case of cats, I am very aware of what the problem is.

But over the last few years I have noticed that when I eat certain foods I start to itch, which means I scratch, because we all know how good a firm scratch feels sometimes. I have noticed on occasion that I have scratched to the point of leaving small scabs, which is not a good look.

I remember that in late 2015 after foot surgery I started noticing the itching more and more. At the time I was undergoing 41 days of intravenous antibiotics to combat an infection in my foot.

My itching was especially triggered by peanuts, strawberries and tea. I remember eating some peanuts and strawberries, and before too long I was scratching and itching, and I was miserable.

Sadly, those are three of my favorite foods, but I worked to cut them out. I really love peanuts, so I do eat them or peanut butter very infrequently.

But I'm still itchy. After some research, I am more confused than ever.

I first reached out to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and had a few questions answered by allergy specialist Dr. Sheva Chervinskiy, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine.

I asked about adults developing allergies to acids in foods. Chervinskiy says that it is unlikely to develop a life-threatening allergic reaction to acids. Some acids can have an irritant effect if they come into contact with the skin. They can also exacerbate several types of gastric reflux.

It is highly unlikely, Chervinskiy said, that an adult would develop a reaction to acids. There could possibly be a different trigger for the reaction.

As far as the antibiotics I took, research has not shown them to be a culprit, although some research has shown that use of antibiotics early in life can increase the possibility of allergic diseases by changing the microbiome in the body.

Chervinskiy says that acids are not known to be allergens. But people can develop food intolerances, which cause gastric symptoms. The main thing in this case would be to avoid high acid foods.

This is an inexhaustible subject to research. I did come to some conclusions. First off, it is hard to know whether you have an allergy or an intolerance because they can cause similar symptoms. Doctors have tests to make a diagnosis.

I am inclined to think now that my problem might be an intolerance to citric acid. It's an organic acid found primarily in citrus fruits, but strawberries have a lot of it. And it is also used as a preservative in many processed foods and beverages.

A citric acid food allergy is an overreaction of the immune system. When you consume a product containing citric acid, the body does not recognize the proteins and begins to make specific antibodies that are intended to fight off the invading proteins.

According to MayoClinic.com, a citric acid intolerance does not trigger the immune system. An intolerance toward citric acid is a malfunction of the digestive tract. It is usually caused by an inability of the small intestines to digest certain sugars and proteins. The digestive system becomes irritated, inflamed and swollen, which leads to common citric acid intolerance symptoms.

Symptoms include a runny nose or congestion, skin reactions, hives, eczema and facial swelling. That could explain my skin reaction. But does it? Hmm.

After all the research, I come to the conclusion that I just have to be careful what I eat and read nutrition labels, which I should really be doing anyway.

Email:

rboggs@arkansasonline.com

Style on 03/25/2019

Upcoming Events