Will I be okay if I have a food allergy?

Food allergies may not necessarily heal on their own. Mild to moderate common food allergies that appear in childhood have a high probability of self-recovery. However, new food allergies that develop in adulthood are mostly lifelong and difficult to resolve on their own.

A while ago, I met a 2-year-old baby who was found to be allergic to both eggs and milk. After taking a bite of a boiled egg, the area around his mouth turned red. The parent was very anxious at the time. I told her not to worry too much. This type of allergy is very common in infants and young children. As long as the child strictly avoids food and undergoes regular check-ups, there is a high probability that the child will get better on his own when he grows up. Last week, the parents brought their child for a follow-up visit. The 3-and-a-half-year-old kid can now eat steamed eggs and drink pure milk normally, and all allergen tests have turned negative. In fact, the reason is not difficult to understand. The intestinal barrier of infants and young children is not fully developed, and the immune system is like a security guard who has just taken up the job. It is not accurate enough in recognizing people. It is easy to attack nutrients such as milk and eggs that are originally harmless to the body as invading "foreign enemies." When the child grows up, the intestinal mucosa becomes stronger, the immune system has also mastered the ability to "distinguish between friend and foe" and builds immune tolerance. This type of allergy will naturally disappear.

But not all food allergies in childhood can heal on their own. Foods with strong allergenicity, such as peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood, have a much lower rate of self-healing. I met a 14-year-old child who went to the emergency room with edema in his throat after eating half a cashew nut when he was a child. He has been strictly taboo for many years, and a provocation test some time ago was still positive. The doctor judged that he will most likely avoid eating such nuts for life.

If the food allergy is newly developed in adulthood, the possibility of self-recovery is even lower. After all, the immune system has matured by this time, and "revenge" is remembered very well. Once a certain food is classified as a dangerous element, it is basically difficult to change the judgment. A while ago, a 28-year-old girl came for consultation and said that she had never had any problems eating mangoes before. After eating imported mangoes last year, she suddenly developed rubella all over her body and even her throat became tight. After that, she would get sick even if she touched even a little bit of diced mango. After checking the allergens, it was confirmed that she was allergic to mangoes. I could only tell her that she would probably stay away from mangoes in the future.

Of course, some studies now suggest that a small number of adults with mild food allergies have a very low probability of gradually developing tolerance after more than 3-5 years of strict food avoidance. However, there is currently no unified clinical conclusion on this statement. Individual differences are outrageous. Some people have been allergic to food for ten years, while others can only taste a small amount after four or five years. We who do related work will not give guarantees to patients. Finally, I would like to say one more thing. Don’t believe the folk remedies on the Internet that “eat small amounts frequently to tolerate it”. Especially for people who have had severe allergic reactions, trying blindly at home can easily induce anaphylactic shock. If you really want to know whether your allergy is cured, go to the hospital for a test. If necessary, do a food challenge test under the supervision of a doctor. Safety is always the first priority.