Allergy - Help I Am Allergic To Chocolate

If you are allergic to chocolate then you suffer from Allergies Type 1, also called Contact Allergies. Scientists do not clearly understand why the immune system of people allergic to chocolate considers some food proteins as harmful by the body. The immune system can mount a variety of defenses mechanisms against proteins that is considers as harmful or foreign. Symptoms can be very mild to life-threatening depending on the severity of your chocolate allergies. They usually occur within a few minutes to a few hours after eating or inhaling chocolate. True allergies to chocolate or cocoa are very rare. Other ingredients, additives or chemicals found in processed chocolate such as nuts, milk, gluten from wheat, soybeans, corn, syrup, caffeine, Theo-bromine, and Phenyl-ethylamine, cause most allergic reactions to chocolate. The higher the quality of chocolate the lower the chances of other additives being found in chocolate. Cocoa is made from the seeds of the cocoa tree that have been fermented, roasted and then ground up. The cocoa tree originated in Central America but is now grown in tropical climates around the world. The proteins found in chocolate trigger the immune system to reaction. Antibodies and histamines are releases into the blood stream in an attempt to neutralize the chocolate protein. These chemicals trigger the allergic symptoms. In sever cases Epinephrine, also call Adrenaline, is administered to control the anaphylaxis reaction. If you are unsure if you are allergic to chocolates then one of the tests you could be given is called Food Challenge Test. Avoid all chocolates for several weeks. The doctor will then give you pure chocolate without any of the other ingredients usually found in processed chocolate. This test needs to be given under close supervision by an allergist. If you are truly allergic to chocolate a violent reactions may occur and emergency medical attention may be needed. If symptoms appear within two hours after the taking the pill then you are allergic to it and will need to avoid it. Avoidance can be very difficult because cocoa is often hidden in other foods. Read the labels of every food that you bring into your home. Because the manufacturing processes change continuously re-read the labels each time you purchase a product. On January 1, 2006 a new law was passed stating that all labels should be designed in such a way that a 7-year-old child could read and understand the ingredients. Some of the health benefits of eating chocolate, in moderation of course, are reducing the risk of hart disease, increase longevity, increases libido and increased sexual fulfillment. Antioxidants are also found in chocolate and are believed to lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream. Just because it tastes good does not mean that it is bad for you so enjoy the occasional teat, you deserve it. Always consult your doctor before using this information. This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice. David Cowley has created over 50 articles about the relationship between diseases and vitamins. For other articles on Allergies click on Articles on Allergies and for other articles click on Other Articles Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Cowley Allergy - Learn About Allergies and The Relationship To Food Allergies are the hypersensitive response of the body to foreign substances. These foreign substances are called antigens, which stimulate the body to produce antibodies, whose normal function is to combat antigens by destroying them or otherwise making them harmless. In allergic individuals, for poorly understood reasons, the body's antibody defense mechanism goes awry and injures the body instead of protecting it. The most familiar allergies are hay fever and asthma, which are caused by a wide variety of inhaled pollens, dusts, and other agents. However, food can also be a cause of allergic reactions. Food does not often cause allergic reactions. Food allergies are more common in infants than in older children and adults, probably because the infant's immature digestive tract permits more ready absorption of offending food molecules. Manifestations of food allergies in adults are usually of the immediate kind, including hives, angioderma, eczema, gastrointestinal disorders, and general systemic reactions of the anaphylactic type. Systemic reactions occur quickly after eating. They are most frequently caused by legumes, nuts, seafoods (especially shellfish), and berries, but carbohydrates, fats, food additives, and contamination by drugs may be implicated. In infants and children, eczema is the prominent manifestation, and the most frequent causative agents include milk, wheat, eggs, fish, and soybean products. Food allergies are diagnosed on the basis of the patient's allergic history together with trial eliminations of suspected foods from the patient's diet. Skin tests and tests for antibodies in serum are less significant, because the hypersensitive reaction may be provoked by the breakdown of products of the food resulting from digestion, and not by the food itself. The management of food allergy is based mainly on the avoidance of the offending foods. An antihistamine taken before a meal may be helpful if a food to which one is allergic is to be eaten. Food allergies in children tend to lessen or disappear with age, but the anaphylactic types manifested in adults do not usually improve over time.