It is so common to hear someone say “my child has allergies” when in fact they are often sensitivities or intolerances. It is estimated that 1 in 3 children (or more) has food intolerances (are sensitive to particular foods) and 1 in 17 children has a life threatening food allergy. So what is the difference?
True Allergies
True allergies, in most cases, are specific adverse reactions to an allergen (a substance that causes an allergic reaction) that trigger the production of an antibody, immunoglobulin E–IgE. Allergies always have an immediate response time and trigger a histamine reaction. When the antibody (IgE) binds to basophils and mast cells (white blood cells) it triggers the release of histamine. Histamine is an important chemical in the body and an excessive release of histamine from basophils, mast cells and eosinophils can result in a wide range of symptoms including:
- Rashes
- Hives
- Swelling
- Closing up of the airways
- Sneezing
- Even a more dangerous reaction of the immune system called anaphylactic shock
Children with anaphylaxis may die within minutes if they consume even small particles of the food to which they are allergic. Common foods found to be triggers of allergic reactions are:
- Peanuts
- Corn
- Shellfish
- Nuts
- Food additives
- Eggs
- Soy
- Gluten
- Casein
- Fish
- Sulfites in foods
Allergies can be reactions to foods, chemicals, the environment, toxins and pathogens. Allergies have been known to adversely affect mood and behaviors in children as well as the central nervous system. Many children with autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, learning disabilities, asthma, autoimmune disorders and mood disorders have been found to have allergies as well as sensitivities.
Sensitivities
Sensitivities often involve a delayed onset of symptoms to foods, chemical preservatives, toxicity and/or a variety of pathogens which may take up to several hours, or even days, to appear. Very often food sensitivities in children go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because delayed reactions can be hard to detect.
Food and environmental sensitivities are characterized by an inflammatory response but are not detectable with a typical IgE test (the test used to diagnose “true allergies”). Thus, many physicians overlook allergies and sensitivities if they only give their patients an “IgE test” such as a skin scratch test or a RAST blood test. It is important for parents to ask their physicians to test for food sensitivities/intolerances to get a full picture of what else (besides ‘true allergies’) might be causing inflammation in their child’s body.
Scientists are now linking food and environmental sensitivities to conditions as varied as autoimmune conditions, irritable bowel syndrome, schizophrenia and depression. Wheat, in particular, has been identified as a common food sensitivity that can contribute to a whole host of chronic inflammatory conditions. This phenomenon is so common that researchers have now identified a significant portion of the population that has non-celiac gluten sensitivity and who benefit greatly from a wheat/gluten-free diet.
Typically, when someone has allergies and sensitivities they also have a compromised gut lining and a condition known as “leaky gut syndrome“. This is when the lining of the intestines becomes excessively permeable (hyperpermeability) and then underdigested food, toxins, and microbes may pass through the lining of the gut and end up in the blood stream triggering a reaction and causing chronic systemic inflammation. The results of chronic systemic inflammation can be subtle and can include:
Sensitivities can also trigger:
- Asthma attacks
- Bladder infections
- Bedwetting
Antibiotic Usage
Frequent antibiotic usage may contribute to an increased risk of allergies and sensitivities during childhood. Research has shown that children who receive one or more doses of antibiotics before the age of two have much higher incidences of asthma, eczema and hay fever; in fact, the more doses of antibiotics a child received, the higher their risk of having one or more of these conditions.
Antibiotics disrupt the good bacteria in the microbiome and the microorganisms in the gastrointestinal system which can in turn alter immune function. Antibiotics can lead to yeast overgrowth (such as species of Candida) which can increase allergies and sensitivities and compromise immune function. What can be seen in certain children is that allergies and sensitivities affect the immune system, the gut/brain connection and brain functioning, children’s behavior and immune responses.
Is This Your Child?
Doris Rapp, MD is one of the very first doctors who recognized certain symptoms in children as possible allergy or sensitivity reactions. In her groundbreaking, informative book, Is This Your Child?, she described what parents of children on the autism spectrum (who usually have many sensitivities) often see in their children:
She also identified many behaviors, problems and conditions that are prevalent with allergies and sensitivities:
- Auditory- and language-processing difficulties
- Hyperactivity
- Poor coping abilities
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Sensory-related behaviors such as refusal to be touched
When parents remove the inflammatory culprits, often times there will be improvement in focus and concentration, language, cognitive, behavior and general well-being and mood. In the case of food sensitivities, food rotation is a good option to avoid developing further food sensitivities if your child eats the same type of foods on a regular basis.
The table below shows the differences between the two different types of immune-mediated adverse food reactions: food allergies and food sensitivities.
Food Sensitivities | Food Allergies | |
Body Organs Involved | Any organ system in the body can be affected | Usually limited to airways, skin or gastrointestinal tract |
Symptom Onset Occurs | From 45 minutes to 72 hours after ingestion | From seconds to one hour after ingestion |
Are symptoms acute or chronic? | Usually chronic, sometimes acute | Usually acute, rarely chronic |
Percentage of population affected | 20-30 percent | 1-2 percent |
Immunologic Mechanisms | White blood cells, antibodies: IgA, IgC (and subclasses), IgM, C3, C4 | IgE |
Non-immunologic Mechanisms | Toxic, pharmacologic | None |
How much food is needed to trigger reaction | From small amount to large amount, often dosage-dependent | One molecule of allergic food needed to trigger reaction |
Still Looking for Answers?
Visit the Documenting Hope Practitioner Directory to find a practitioner near you.
Join us inside our online membership community for parents, Healing Together, where you’ll find even more healing resources, expert guidance, and a community to support you every step of your child’s healing journey.
Sources & References
Gastrointestinal permeability in food-allergic children. Nutr Rev. 1985 Aug;43(8):233-5.
Allen, K.J., et al. Food Allergy in Childhood. Medical Journal of Australia. 2006 Oct 2;185(7):394-400.
Bunyavanich, S., et al. Peanut allergy prevalence among school-age children in a US cohort not selected for any disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;134(3):753-5
Campbell, et al. Mechanisms of Allergic Disease – Environmental and genetic determinants for the development of allergy. Clin Exp Allergy. 2015
Della Giustina, A., et al.. Vitamin D, allergies and asthma: focus on pediatric patients. World Allergy Organ J. 2014;7(1):27
Feehley, T., et al. Healthy infants harbor intestinal bacteria that protect against food allergy. Nature Medicine. 2019 Jan 14.
Gupta, R.S., et al. The Public Health Impact of Parent-Reported Childhood Food Allergies in the United States. Pediatrics. 2018 Dec;142(6). pii: e20181235.
Heuer, L., et al. Reduced levels of immunoglobulin in children with autism correlates with behavioral symptoms. Autism Res, Oct 2008, 1:5, 275–83.
Hoskin-Parr, L., et al. Antibiotic exposure in the first two years of life and development of asthma and other allergic diseases by 7.5 yr: A dose-dependent relationship. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2013 Dec; 24(8): 762–771.
Isolauri, E., et al. Food allergy in irritable bowel syndrome: new facts and old fallacies. Gut. 2004 Oct;53(10):1391-3.
Jackson, P.G., et al. Intestinal permeability in patients with eczema and food allergy. Lancet. 1981 Jun 13;1(8233):1285-6.
Jyonouchi, H., et al. Dysregulated innate immune responses in young children with autism spectrum disorders: their relationship to gastrointestinal symptoms and dietary intervention. Neuropsychobiology. 2005;51(2):77-85.
Kim-Lee, C., et al. Gastrointestinal disease in Sjogren's syndrome: related to food hypersensitivities. Springerplus. 2015 Dec 12;4:766.
Ly, N.P., et al. Gut microbiota, probiotics, and vitamin D: interrelated exposures influencing allergy, asthma, and obesity? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011;127(5):1087-94; quiz 95-6.
Maksimova, O.V., et al. [Intestine microbiota and allergic diseases]. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol. 2014(3):49-60.
Mitre, E., et al. Association Between Use of Acid-Suppressive Medications and Antibiotics During Infancy and Allergic Diseases in Early Childhood. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Jun 4;172(6):e180315.
Möller, C., et al. Intestinal permeability as assessed with polyethyleneglycols in birch pollen allergic children undergoing oral immunotherapy. Allergy. 1986 May;41(4):280-5.
Morris, C.R., et al. Syndrome of allergy, apraxia, and malabsorption: characterization of a neurodevelopmental phenotype that responds to omega 3 and vitamin E supplementation. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Jul-Aug 2009;15(4):34-43.
Peters, R.L., et al. Infant food allergy phenotypes and association with lung function deficits and asthma at age 6 years: a population-based, prospective cohort study in Australia. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2023 Jul 24;S2352-4642(23)00133-5.
Prescott, S.L. Early-life environmental determinants of allergic diseases and the wider pandemic of inflammatory noncommunicable diseases. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;131(1):23-30.
Rueter, K., et al. In "High-Risk" Infants with Sufficient Vitamin D Status at Birth, Infant Vitamin D Supplementation Had No Effect on Allergy Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 11;12(6):1747.
Severance, E.G., et al. IgG dynamics of dietary antigens point to cerebrospinal fluid barrier or flow dysfunction in first-episode schizophrenia. Brain Behav Immun. 2015 Feb;44:148-58.
Stinson, L.F., et al. Human Milk From Atopic Mothers Has Lower Levels of Short Chain Fatty Acids. Front Immunol. 2020 Jul 21:11:1427.
Suen, R.M., et al. The Clinical Relevance of IgG Food Allergy Testing Through ELISA. Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, Jan 2004, 61–66.
Taylor-Black, S.A., et al. Prevalence of food allergy in New York City school children. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2014;112(6):554-6 e1.
Tsabouri, S., et al. Modulation of gut microbiota downregulates the development of food allergy in infancy. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2014;42(1):69-77.
Uhde, M., et al. Intestinal cell damage and systemic immune activation in individuals reporting sensitivity to wheat in the absence of coeliac disease. Gut. 2016 Dec;65(12):1930-1937.
Vael, C., et al. Early intestinal Bacteroides fragilis colonization and development of asthma. BMC Pulmonary Medicine. 2008 Sep 26;8:19.
Resources
Books
Feingold, Ben, MD. Why Your Child Is Hyperactive: The Bestselling Book on How ADHD Is Caused by Artificial Food Flavors and Colors. Random House, 1985.
Rapp, Doris, MD. Is This Your Child? William Morrow Paperbacks, 1991.