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A food allergy is any adverse reaction to harmless food or food component that involves the body’s immune system (Anderson, J.A. et al., 1994). The term “food hypersensitivity” is referred to any pathological related to food ingestion which mainly divided into “food intolerance” and food allergy” according to molecular mechanism of action (Johansson, S.G.O., Hourihane, J.O.B., Bousquet, J. et al., 2001). There are several different types of adverse reaction involve immune system which helps the body to resist disease. Allergy reaction involve three component such as food allergen, immunoglobin E (IgE) and mast cells also basophils (Lemke, PJ., Taylor, S.L., Kotsonis, F.N. et al., 1994).
Food allergen is part of food that stimulates the immune system and the most of food allergen is proteins (Taylor, S.L., Hefle, S.L., Munoz-Furlong et al., 1999). Food allergic’s person have higher number of IgE which is antibody in immune system. When there is allergic reaction, immune system is stimulated by food allergens to make IgE specific to that food. Millions IgE antibodies is then circulated in the blood and binds to blood cells called basophils and then enter the body tissue where they bind to mast cells. They are specialized cell of immune system that plays roles in producing allergic reaction. Basophils are phagocytic white blood cell that engulf and absorb foreign substance in blood stream. Mast cell commonly found in tissue that comes in contact with environment such as skin, lungs and gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). Basophils and mast cell produces and store mediators such as histamine and prostaglandins (Taylor, S.L., Hefle, S.L., Gauger, B.J. et al., 2000).
Although allergic reaction can occur to any food, most reaction is cau...

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...ergies often have histories of respiratory allergies such as allergic nasal symptoms or asthma.
Although there are many reasons to promote breastfeeding during early month of life, it is effectively in preventing food allergy in infant. A mother’s diet during pregnancy does not cause food allergy in her infant. Most studies show the maternal diet during pregnancy has little influence on sensitization on the infant to foods (Kjellman, NIM., Bjorksten, B., Sampson, H.A. et al., 2000). Food allergens consumed by lactating mothers have been found in minute quantities in breast milk (Caffarelli, C., Cavagni, G., Bertolini, P. et al., 1988).
As a conclusion, most food allergy reactions are not life threatening. Most allergic reactions to food are relatively mild. But a small percentage of food allergic individual who have severe reactions that can be life threatening.

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