Debunked: 5 Common Myths About Food Allergies

Living with a food allergy can guide every decision you and your family make around eating. Food allergies can cause dangerous and even life-threatening reactions, so it’s essential to follow your allergist’s advice on how to minimize allergic reactions. 

Board-certified allergist Chad W. Mayer, DO, FAAAAI, FAAP, and his team at Allergy and Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan treat children and adults for food allergies in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Mayer and the team help you better understand food allergies so you can manage your own or your child’s condition properly.

Odds are you may have heard something inaccurate about food allergies at some point. Myths and misinformation about food allergies might lead you to make risky decisions about eating or lead you to mismanage your condition. 

In this article, we’ll debunk five common food allergy myths. 

1. Not all food reactions indicate food allergies

Can you think of any foods that cause symptoms like diarrhea or joint pain? You might automatically assume these reactions are linked to an underlying food allergy, and you might make decisions about what to eat accordingly. 

In truth, food allergies, food intolerances, and food sensitivities are all separate issues. Food allergies happen when a person’s immune system overreacts to a specific food (or a protein found in the food). Allergies are often more severe than intolerances or sensitivities. 

Food sensitivities can often resolve on their own. While they’re not fully understood, experts believe food sensitivities happen because of immune system reactions, too. They can cause non-life-threatening symptoms like stomach pain, joint pain, and brain fog. 

Food intolerances involve the inability to properly digest a type of food, which can cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like bloating or diarrhea. 

2. Food allergies only affect children

Some people think of food allergies as more of a children’s health issue than one that affects people of all ages. While some kids might outgrow their food allergies as they age, a food allergy can also be a lifelong issue in a person’s life. 

Some food allergies are even more common in adults than in children. Shellfish allergies, for example, are the most common food allergy in adults but affect kids at much lower rates. Shellfish allergies are more common in adult women than adult men, but more common in boys than girls. 

3. Antihistamines can treat anaphylaxis

Antihistamines are medications you can take to calm down a strong reaction from the immune system to alleviate food allergy symptoms. 

A common myth says that taking an antihistamine can treat anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that causes symptoms like throat swelling, low blood pressure, and shortness of breath. 

Antihistamines can treat mild and non-life-threatening food allergy symptoms, like hives and itching. But when it comes to anaphylaxis, antihistamines aren’t quite strong enough. If anaphylaxis occurs, you must administer epinephrine and seek emergency medical care. 

4. Food allergies aren’t treatable

Avoiding food allergens is the gold-standard treatment for a food allergy, but there’s still a chance of coming into contact with small amounts of a food allergen and not being aware of it until a reaction occurs.

You and your family have options for food allergy treatment beyond carefully avoiding the food allergen. While there’s no cure for food allergies at this time, oral immunotherapy or biologic medications can help a person build tolerance to a food that causes allergic reactions. 

5. Every allergic reaction makes the food allergy worse

Some say that each time you’re exposed to a food allergen and have a reaction, your allergy becomes more severe, but this is a myth. Food allergy reactions can vary in their severity each time you have one, but that doesn’t mean your allergy is becoming more severe or dangerous. 

Keep in mind that just because your allergic reactions have been mild in the past, it doesn’t mean you’ll never have a severe food allergy reaction. 

Get in touch

Dr. Mayer and the team can answer your questions about food allergies and help debunk other possible myths you might’ve heard. Call Allergy and Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan to schedule your next appointment today.