Mechanism and Control of Food Allergy

The number of patients suffering from food allergy has increased strikingly during the last few decades, coinciding with changes in eating habits and in the environment. Most food-born allergies are IgE-mediated immunologic reactions to specific foods. It is often difficult to diagnose true food allergy, because similar symptoms may be caused by naturally occurring toxins or chemical additives. This paper discusses the problems related to food allergy in general, the current knowledge of food allergies and the mechanisms involved, anti-allergenic factors in foods, methods with which food allergy may be decreased and treated, relationships between lipid metabolism and allergy, effects of food processing and genetic engineering on food allergy, and recent progress in the development of hypoallergenic foods.