Common Food Allergies Can Increase Risk of Heart Disease, Experts Warn

Foods such as peanuts and different kinds of seafood like shrimp and crab can often irritate people who suffer from allergic reactions. But what kind of effects do these allergies have on our health? Does that also mean there is a higher chance of developing heart disease?

Food Allergens

(Photo : Pixabay/Ilo)

Food allergies affect millions of people in the United States, and people with food sensitivities are more likely to have negative reactions to products that contain allergens. While most responses result in moderate symptoms, certain reactions can be severe and potentially fatal. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, there is no cure for food allergies despite the ongoing research and development of new medicines. The individual should reportedly get a medical diagnostic to determine which foods lead them to have an allergic reaction. Then, they should avoid those foods as much as possible, which is essential to prevent major negative impacts on one's health.

Moreover, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) recognizes eight foods as major food allergens. These are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. Thus, while many foods can trigger allergy reactions, these eight are considered the most common triggers.

Connection of Food Allergy and Heart Disease

Through an ongoing survey of thousands of adults, researchers affiliated with the University of Virginia Health System discovered that individuals who generated antibodies in reaction to dairy and other dietary items had a higher tendency to cardiovascular-related deaths. Based on the study, despite considering conventional risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, this claim was still reportedly true. They also discovered that individuals allergic to cow's milk had the highest prevalence of this health risk. Accordingly, additional allergens, such as peanuts and shrimp, were also significant.

On the other hand, according to EurekAlert, it is the first instance that allergy antibodies to widely consumed foods have been connected to death from cardiovascular disease, whereas asthma and eczema/atopic dermatitis have previously been associated with. As mentioned, inducing the activation of specialized cells known as mast cells, the researchers hypothesize that food-allergy antibodies could influence the heart.

It is common knowledge that mast cells in the skin and the gastrointestinal tract play a role in traditional allergic reactions. However, mast cells can also be found in the blood arteries and tissue of the heart. Scientists believe that continuous activation of mast cells could induce inflammation, which would contribute to the formation of dangerous plaque that can lead to heart attacks or other forms of heart disease.

Even so, researchers emphasize that this is not yet an established act. It is likely due to a combination of hereditary and environmental influences. Additionally, cardiovascular illness could reportedly enhance the likelihood of food sensitization, which indicates that heart disease might raise your chance of food allergies, even if the latest findings suggest that this is unlikely to be the case.

Therefore, before making any recommendations for modifications to how doctors diagnose or manage food allergies, scientists are requesting more research to be conducted to understand the implications of their discovery better.