Daily Bulletin

Men's Weekly

.

  • Written by Lucinda Berglund, Clinical Senior Lecturer University of Sydney, Immunologist and Immunopathologist Westmead Hospital and NSW Health Pathology, University of Sydney

This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions they’d like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome – serious, weird or wacky!

How do we get allergic to food? – Younus, age 9, Perth

That’s a really interesting question, and one that many scientists and doctors are also trying to understand better.

It all starts with the immune system. Every person has one - a group of cells, tissues and organs in the body that helps you fight infections.

It does this by fighting off bugs that might make you sick when they enter your body. This is very important both in keeping you well, as well as helping you recover when you do get sick with an infection.

Read more: Curious Kids: How can a tiny seed actually grow into a huge tree?

image Your immune system helps fight off colds and flus. Flickr/William Brawley, CC BY

Allergies happen when the immune system starts overreacting to other things which would not usually make you sick. These can include dust, pollens, pets, and as you mentioned, foods.

For example, in someone who is not allergic to cow’s milk, the immune system doesn’t react when they drink the milk.

But if you are allergic to cow’s milk, when you drink it your immune system overreacts and can cause you to have a rash, swelling or trouble breathing.

If there are people in your family with allergies, such as asthma, eczema, hay fever or food allergies, then you are more likely to have allergies too.

This means that allergies may be in the genes that are passed down from parents to children, just like there are genes that pass down the colour of your eyes and hair.

Read more: What are allergies and why are we getting more of them?

image Some foods commonly cause allergies, such as cow’s milk, egg, wheat, nuts and shellfish. Flickr/Victor, CC BY

Some foods commonly cause allergies, such as cow’s milk, egg, wheat, nuts and shellfish.

It may be that the age when you first try these foods can affect whether you go on to become allergic to that food, and a lot of research is happening to figure out if that is true.

Over the next few years, I think we will understand this question better, and hopefully be able to make food allergies less common.

Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to us. You can:

* Email your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au * Tell us on Twitter by tagging @ConversationEDU with the hashtag #curiouskids, or * Tell us on Facebook

image CC BY-ND Please tell us your name, age and which city you live in. You can send an audio recording of your question too, if you want. Send as many questions as you like! We won’t be able to answer every question but we will do our best.

Authors: Lucinda Berglund, Clinical Senior Lecturer University of Sydney, Immunologist and Immunopathologist Westmead Hospital and NSW Health Pathology, University of Sydney

Read more http://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-do-we-get-allergic-to-food-82503

Business News

Choosing Local Stainless Steel Fabrication and Laser Cutting in Brisbane

Stainless steel is one of the most widely used materials in industries today due to its strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion and rust. For architectural elements, industrial equipment, ...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

How Meaningful Employment Supports Mental Health and Independence for People with Disabilities

Photo by Yan Krukau from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-sitting-at-the-table-7640785/As a manager or leader of HR, you might already know that a healthy work environment is vital to the ...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

How BSM Law Influences Modern Legal Practices

Business Services Management (BSM) law has been largely overlooked or ignored over the past few decades, but BSM (Business Services Management) law is becoming a central practice area in many modern l...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Speed Dating For Business