食物過敏和食物不耐受的區別是什麼?大綱
With the rise of gluten-free and dairy-free diets over the past few years, food allergies and intolerances appear to be surging now More than ever. Celebs like Kourtney Kardashian and Kate Hudson have famously stripped their diets of common allergenic foods in the name of health, and the public seems eager to follow suit. Have we become better at detecting food allergies and intolerances, or are they just the latest trend?
過去幾年來，隨着無麩質飲食和無乳製品飲食的興起，食物過敏和食物不耐受案例似乎比以往任何時候都多。考特尼·卡戴珊和凱特·哈德森等名人打着健康的旗號，不再攝入常見的致敏食物，而普通人似乎都急於效仿。是我們更擅長髮現食物過敏和食物不耐受了嗎？亦或者這只是最新的趨勢所在？A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests many Americans' food fears may be "unfounded." After reviewing data collected from over 40,000 U.S. adults, the researchers found about 19% of adults believed they had a food allergy-and only about 10% actually had one.
JAMA Network Open期刊新發表的一項研究表明：很多美國人的食物恐懼可能都是"毫無依據的"。看完4萬多名美國成年人的數據後，研究員發現：19%的成年人認爲他們有食物過敏--但實際上只有10%的人患此症狀。"While we found that one in 10 adults have [a] food allergy, nearly twice as many adults think that they are allergic to foods, while their symptoms may suggest food intolerance or other food-related conditions," lead study author Ruchi Gupta, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explained in a press release.
"雖然我們發現10%的成人食物過敏，但卻有近2倍的成年人覺得他們患有食物過敏（實際上，他們的症狀只是食物不耐受或其它與食物相關的疾病的表現），"西北大學伯格醫學院、研究的首席作者魯敇·古普塔在一次新聞發佈會上解釋道。
While these adults may actually believe they have a food allergy, the symptoms they reported were not reflective of true allergic reactions. Most likely, they were experiencing other unwelcome symptoms-like diarrhea, abdominal pain, or bloating-from a food sensitivity or intolerance. Food allergy symptoms are caused by an immune system response; symptoms of intolerances or sensitivities are not. Someone with a food intolerance is missing a digestive enzyme that would break down a part of the food. Food sensitivities aren't as clearly defined, but they usually involve an upset stomach after eating a specific food.
雖然這些成年人或許真的覺得自己患食物過敏，但他們自己所描述的症狀實際並不是過敏的真正反映。他們很有可能是因爲對食物敏感或食物不耐受，才表現出這些難受的症狀--比如腹瀉、腹痛或腹脹。與食物不耐受或食物敏感的症狀所不同的是，食物過敏症狀是由免疫系統反應引起的。患有食物不耐受的人體內缺少一種可以分解部分食物的消化酶。食物敏感的定義尚不明確，但通常指的是，攝入特定食物之後，胃部不適。
The body's immune system overreacts to proteins that [their bodies perceive as] unhealthy and attacks them as a threat to the body. The reaction to this faulty immune response leads to symptoms like itching, tightening of your throat, or shortness of breath."
身體的免疫系統會對不健康的蛋白質過度反應，並將其視作身體威脅而對其進行攻擊。這種錯誤的免疫反應會導致皮膚髮癢、喉嚨緊縮或呼吸短促等症狀。At worst, allergic responses can result in a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, which requires immediate medical attention. On the other hand, a food sensitivity can cause discomfort, but does not pose a threat to your health, Upton says.
最糟糕的是，過敏反應可能會危及生命，需立即就醫。另一方面，對食物敏感的確會引起不適，但不會對您的健康構成威脅，厄普頓說道。
