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Food Allergies? 75% Are Bogus

Inaccurate testing results in huge number of misdiagnoses, experts say

By Drew Nelles,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 20, 2009 8:24 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Food allergies are on the rise, but faulty tests are behind much of that increase, the Los Angeles Times reports. Eating controlled amounts of a certain food under medical supervision is the only way of knowing whether you’re allergic to it, but primary-care doctors are more likely to employ less-accurate blood testing, resulting in a proliferation of misdiagnoses.

"Only about 25% of people who think they have a food allergy will actually have one,” an allergist says, while in one study, researchers found that 90% of allergies were misdiagnosed. Often, those who think they have allergies are just intolerant of a given food, which demands different treatment. "People are so happy and appreciative when they can get more foods in," another allergist says. "Even just one food allergy changes your life."

Allergy diagnoses are on the rise, but that's due in part to bad testing, experts say.
Allergy diagnoses are on the rise, but that's due in part to bad testing, experts say.
Penny Ackerman holds son Gregory, 3, and a bag of chocolate chips. More and more foods bear warnings that they might accidentally contain ingredients that can sicken Americans with food allergies.
Penny Ackerman holds son Gregory, 3, and a bag of chocolate chips. More and more foods bear warnings that they might accidentally contain ingredients that can sicken Americans with food allergies.   (AP Photo/Rick Smith)
Margaret Sova McCabe and son Tommie pose in her kitchen with some of the foods Tommie, who has food allergies, can eat.
Margaret Sova McCabe and son Tommie pose in her kitchen with some of the foods Tommie, who has food allergies, can eat.   (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
Mad
Jul 20, 2009 7:01 AM CDT
Ever look at the potato chip asile and look at all the different 'flavors' they come in? Folks are paying $4 for the equivalent of one potato and a bunch of chemicals designed into fooling your taste buds that you are eating something nutritious. So, the article is correct. Food allergies are 75% bogus... Most cases are probably chemical allergies
fancygapva
Jul 20, 2009 6:01 AM CDT
@awase61 Check out the sales of Zyrtec and Claritin, they are for environmental allergies, but they have had a sharp uptick in the past few years. Food allergies don't show up that way mostly because people avoid the foods they are allergic to, but check out the increases in meds and OTC remedies for lactose intolerance and gas, like Bean-O and Mylanta. They have been around a long time but sales are on the increase. That should indicate an increase in food allergies. And above all, consider who wrote and published the article.
awase61
Jul 20, 2009 3:28 AM CDT
Probably not many, seeing as they are all FDA approved, we haven't seen a massive up tick in allergy diagnosis, and as the article says even a large portion of the ones we do have are false.

 
health • allergy • diagnosis • blood tests • food allergies • testing

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