IgG-dependent allergy (food allergy type III, IgG-dependent food intolerance) is an abnormal and excessively intensified reaction of the immune system to harmless ingredients present in food. Unfortunately, it can even be caused by he althy and organic food. What are the symptoms of Type III food allergy?

Contents:

  1. IgG-dependent allergy - causes
  2. IgG-dependent allergy - mechanism of action
  3. IgG-dependent allergy - symptoms
  4. IgG-dependent allergy - tests and treatment

IgG-dependent allergy (type III food allergy, IgG-dependent food intolerance ) develops when incompletely digested food components penetrate through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. The immune system recognizes them as foreign. Therefore, the immune system reacts abnormally and excessively to the inherent harmless ingredients present in food.

Estimates show that approximately 45% of people suffer from this type of food allergy. inhabitants of Europe and North America.

IgG-dependent allergy - causes

The immediate cause of the type III food allergy is the increase in the permeability of the intestinal barrier as a consequence of the loosening of tight connections between enterocytes.

The primary role of the small intestine is to digest and absorb nutrients. But the small intestine is also the body's largest endocrine organ and the most important organ of the immune system.

This is an important function because, apart from nutrients, we introduce into the body every day with food, also bacteria, viruses, and sometimes parasites. The small intestine eliminates them and thus protects us against pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and antigens, constituting a kind of protective barrier for our body.

Disorders in the composition of the bacterial flora damage this barrier and lead to the so-called increased small intestine permeability. This means that not only the components needed by the body can penetrate into the blood, but also the dangerous ones.

The result of the increased permeability of the small intestine barrier are civilization factors, such as:

  • frequent viral infections,bacterial or parasitic,
  • exposure to environmental toxins,
  • alcohol,
  • long-term stress,
  • taking medications (especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and antibiotics
  • a diet rich in preservatives and dyes.

IgG-dependent allergy - mechanism of action

Most patients are unaware that some of their ailments are the result of an allergy to certain foods. IgE antibodies are involved in a typical food allergic reaction, and adverse symptoms appear immediately after eating the forbidden food. In the case of type III allergies, where IgG antibodies play the main role, the symptoms are distant in time. How does this happen?

When the intestinal barrier is weakened, nutrients get into the bloodstream that would never get there under normal conditions. The immune system recognizes them as food allergens and starts making specific IgG antibodies.

These antibodies capture allergens and form antibody-allergen complexes with them, also known as immune complexes. However, this does not mean that he alth-threatening substances are rendered harmless in this way. Some of them are lost in the liver and removed by the kidneys.

The excess, however, remains in the body and is deposited in various tissues and organs. This is the cause of chronic inflammation and, consequently, malaise. When the intestinal wall is already damaged, the symptoms can be significantly worsened.

Important

Antigen and antibodies

IgG antibodies(immunoglobulins) are a type of protein secreted by plasma cells (i.e. stimulated B lymphocytes) in the course of a humoral immune response ("humor" is Latin for "fluid") .

The term "humoral immunity" means that the factor responsible for recognizing an antigen (foreign substance or cell) and attacking it is in a cell-free fluid such as blood plasma. IgG antibodies have the special ability to recognize antigens and play a crucial role in protecting the body from invading viruses, bacteria and even parasites.

The immune complexis the body of an antigen and its specific antibody. These complexes are formed in the course of an allergic or inflammatory reaction. In an efficient body, the complexes circulate in the blood, but after reaching the liver, they are destroyed there and then excreted by the kidneys.

There are times, however, that immune complexes form so quickly that the liver and kidneys are unable to remove them from the body. Then an excess of complexesit settles in various tissues and initiates autoimmune inflammatory processes.

IgG-dependent allergy - symptoms

A characteristic feature of type III food allergy is a delayed defense reaction of the body - 8 or even 70 hours after eating. The second characteristic feature of IgG-dependent allergy is the deposition of immune complexes in the body.

Most patients are unaware that some of their ailments are the result of an allergy to certain foods. IgE antibodies are involved in a typical food allergic reaction, and adverse symptoms appear as soon as you eat the forbidden food.

In the case of type III allergies, where IgG antibodies play the main role, the symptoms are distant in time. Some of them are hard to even associate with an allergic reaction to food.

Experts believe that food allergy or hypersensitivity may cause metabolic disorders, e.g. overweight and type 2 diabetes, may cause gastrointestinal disorders (flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, feeling of fullness, belching) ).

Eating inappropriate food can cause chronic fatigue, bone and joint pain, migraines, and skin changes.

Food allergy type III is also accused of some cases of depression, aggression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), headaches and dizziness, fibromyalgia and many other conditions.

IgG-dependent allergy - tests and treatment

Treatment of IgG-dependent allergy is mainly based on an elimination diet. A person suspected of having a type III food allergy undergoes specialized tests (from a standard blood sample) to determine which food allergens he is allergic to. The basic tools for the assessment of IgG-dependent allergy are:

  • enzyme immunoassay ELISA,
  • neutrophil activation tests,
  • protein macroarrays.

Thanks to these tests, it is possible to detect approx. 300 molecules found in foods from various sources, but recognized by IgG antibodies. This allows you to establish a list of foods that your immune system does not tolerate. However, diets implemented on the basis of the results of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) tests have clinical utility.

The evaluation of the test results should be left to a doctor or an experienced dietitian, as they can give you directions on how to prepare the products in order to tolerate them better. Not all harmful foods can be eliminated from the diet. You also need to know what to replace them with in order to avoid shortagesnutritional.

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Category:

Allergies