PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS OF FOOD ALLERGY AND FOOD INTOLERANCE – LITERATURE REVIEW

Aim of the paper was to make a review оf available evidence for food allergies and food intolerance, to makе a distinction between allergy and intolerance, and to emphasize the current knowledge about the prevalence and preventive measures. We made a search through PubMed and Google scholar, using the search terms „food“, „allergy“, „intolerance“, „prevalence“, „prevention“ and „measures“ for the period from 2000 to 2020, in order to find appropriate papers and publications. Food intolerance is defined as a non-immunological reaction to certain natural food ingredients or food additives that causes pharmacological, metabolic and gastro-intestinal reactions to food or food compounds. Food allergy is defined as an immune-mediated reaction to food, that is almost always mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE). The worldwide prevalence of IgE-mediated allergic reactions is not exactly known. It is believed that about 1-2% of adults and between 5-7% of the children suffer from some type of food allergy and this number is growing. The most frequent specific food allergens are eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts, cow’s milk, cereals containing gluten, (such as wheat, rye, barley, oats) seafood, soybeans, sesame, celery and mustard. Food intolerance can sometimes be controlled by limiting the amount of a certain type of food that is consumed, but when it comes to food allergies, much stricter avoidance of the food is required. Only food allergy, not food intolerance, can lead to a potentially fatal anaphylaxis reaction. In order to avoid food allergy, it is necessary to label the products for the presence of allergens.