Nutrition for Special Circumstances Key Words

• Adverse reactions to food can be classified as either immune mediated (e.g. food allergy, FA) or nonimmune mediated (e.g. food intolerance, FI). Nonimmune-mediated reactions are the most prevalent. • Eight foods (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish) account for 90% of all IgEmediated food allergies. • Celiac disease is a classical example of a non-IgEmediated adverse food reaction that affects 1% of the population. Examples of other immune-mediated adverse food reactions are food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. • FI is much more common than FA. Examples of FI include food poisoning, lactose intolerance, as well as toxic, pharmacological, and functional adverse reactions to foods. Quite often, these reactions mimic reactions due to FA. • Appropriate diagnosis is important in order to avoid the unnecessary elimination of a particular food item from the diet. • When a restricted diet is clinically indicated for long-term management, it should be undertaken under close supervision from an experienced nutritionist and expert physician to reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel