How Food Allergies Increase the Risk of Heart Disease?

Overview

Allergies to common food allergens like milk, peanuts, shrimp, and alpha-gal can be Risk Factors for Heart Disease, many research studies say.

It may be surprising to hear that death due to heart disease now bag allergies as one of the common risk factors. Generally, people who are allergic to milk, peanuts, shrimp, etc., experience hives, urticaria, rashes, stomach upset, anaphylaxis, and even death in severe cases. Recently studies have been conducted to find food allergies as one of the common risk factors for heart diseases, they have found that most cardiac deaths have food allergies in common.

A research paper published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology mentioned that people who produce IgE antibodies to the food allergens found in milk are at increased risk of cardiovascular death considering all the other Risk Factors of Heart Disease like smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Research studies conducted with two groups and the data collected after a continuous track of deaths for more than 19 years in one and 14 in the other, concluded that people with cardiovascular deaths have sensitization to the IgE antibodies found in the milk, peanut, and shrimp.

Even though we need a lot of evidence to ensure this firmly, recent studies surely show us the connection between the risk of cardiovascular deaths and the release of IgE antibodies to allergens. Conventional Food Allergies Treatment involves the prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs which can surely treat the presenting symptoms, not the underlying cause. If food allergies are neglected and not treated properly, it can lead to serious consequences of anaphylactic reactions and even death.

This issue could be serious particularly in children as they are getting more prone to food allergies nowadays, with time passing it can become a threat to the cause of cardiovascular issues.

Food Allergies Treatment

Food allergy Ayurvedic treatment involves the identification of the root cause of the disease, eliminating the inflammatory mediators, and correcting the unbalanced doshas. Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to the treatment of food allergies without the need to eliminate the food.

Also Read:- Food Allergy – Causes, Symptoms and Ayurvedic Treatment

Why is It Important to Treat Food Allergies?

Timesofindia states that around 1% of the Indian population, a sizable 1 crore people suffer from food allergies and WHO says that around 27% of deaths in 2016 were due to cardiovascular issues considering the other Risk Factors of Heart Disease. If we correlate both, we can assess the risk one has due to both food allergies and cardiovascular issues.

How are Food Allergies Related to Cardiovascular Mortality?

The mechanism behind this can be the activation of specialized cells called mast cells. Mast cells can also be found in blood vessels supplied to the cardiac muscles and the heart causing allergic reactions and inflammation. Inflammation can cause damage to the heart muscles leading to cardiovascular deaths.

Another reason could be the anaphylactic reaction, a whole-body allergic reaction causing difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, and affecting the heart rate. The physical stress and weakened immunity caused due to allergic reactions can make the heart muscles weaker resulting in cardiac inflammation leading to heart failure.

Kounis Syndrome

Kounis syndrome is defined as identifying cardiovascular issues and symptoms secondary to allergic reactions and episodes of hypersensitivity. It used to be a very rare disease but now it has become more common and many people are getting affected by it. One can experience cardiovascular issues like coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, heart attack, chest pain, and even cardiovascular death secondary to allergic reactions. It can be seen in people who don’t have any history of cardiovascular diseases or any associated risk factors.

Wrapping Up

Food allergies can be a risk factor for heart disease in many ways, recent studies have proven this. It’s high time to buckle up for the definitive Food Allergies Treatment. We have also seen the numbers, the people suffering from food allergies and the people who died from cardiovascular issues, which are of course scary. Before food allergies can cause major damage to our heart muscles, we need to get it treated thoroughly by eliminating the root cause. Even though much more evidence is needed to tie up the relationship between cardiovascular deaths and food allergies, it has been clear that food allergies have become one of the common risk factors for cardiovascular deaths from our research study example.

Consult Online with Dr. Sahil Gupta (B.A.M.S., M.H.A.)