Scientists find link between heart disease and food allergies

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Even latent allergic reactions to commonly consumed foods, such as dairy products, can lead to serious cardiovascular disease. American scientists came to this conclusion after analyzing data from thousands of patients, not just those with allergies; His articles were published at: Medical Insider.

Food allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly reacts to certain proteins in foods and evaluates them as dangerous. This may occur due to the interaction of immunoglobulin E (IgE), an important component of the immune system, with food molecules, resulting in the formation of inflammatory substances, including histamine.

Particularly allergenic foods include cow’s milk, peanuts, eggs, shellfish, crustaceans, fish, tree nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, rice and fruit. Allergy to these foods affects one in ten people worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that the situation has worsened over the past few years, especially in developed countries. Children suffer the most, but this problem is not uncommon in adults either.

The main symptom of allergy is a rash on the skin, which is not always noticeable. However, if due attention is not paid to this, complications may arise. Allergies can cause serious illness.

Skin rashes are just the tip of the iceberg. says material. When allergies occur, the first ones affected are the internal organs. Autoimmune inflammatory processes affect the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. Recent research by American scientists has shown that sensitivity to common food allergens such as dairy products and peanuts may be an important and previously underestimated cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

To conduct the study, researchers used databases from two U.S. Department of Health projects: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). These databases contain information about the lifestyle, eating habits and diagnoses of hundreds of thousands of people.

After analyzing the level of IgE in the blood, several groups were identified: those with no signs of allergy and increased levels of general immunoglobulin E, and those specific to cow’s milk, peanuts and some other products. Models were created for each group, accounting for the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to gender, age, ethnicity, education, and smoking factors, as well as previously diagnosed CVD, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. A total of 5374 people participated in the study, of whom 285 died of cardiovascular disease during the observation period (15 years for NHANES and 19 years for MESA).

The study found that people with antibodies to cow’s milk and, to a lesser extent, peanuts and shrimp were particularly susceptible to cardiovascular disease. This factor is comparable to or even greater than traditional CVD risks such as smoking, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

“One possible mechanism is the activation of an ‘allergic’ inflammatory process,” explains therapist Yulia Mironova from the BestDoctor group of companies. – IgE antibodies to food stimulate special cells to release chemicals (cytokines). “Excess cytokines damage the inner walls of blood vessels, which contributes to the development of atherosclerotic plaques, the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.”

In summary, research shows a link between allergies and cardiovascular disease (CVD), based on data from two studies conducted in the United States.

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