SLAMABAD, Nov 11 (ONLINE): In a new study, researchers report that people with a food sensitivity to cow\u2019s milk (lactose intolerance) and other common food allergens may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n
They published their findings today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.<\/p>\n
The researchers used information from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANESTrusted Source) and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) to reach their conclusions.<\/p>\n
A total of 5,374 participants \u2013 4,414 from NHANES and 960 from MESA \u2013 were followed by researchers for over a decade to determine if food sensitivities could contribute to cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n
Previous studies have shown some food allergies are associated with higher risksTrusted Source of heart disease, but food sensitivities (food intolerance) have not previously been identified as contributing factors to cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n
Details from the food sensitivities study
\nThe NHANES study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention using questionnaires and laboratory tests. Participants were 20 years and older and tested for IgE antibodies at baseline.<\/p>\n
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute sponsored the MESA study to look for cardiovascular disease risk factors. Participants were 45 to 84 years of age and did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. The study included evaluating the presence of IgE and its relationship to heart disease.<\/p>\n
IgE measures food sensitivities and allergies to cow\u2019s milk as well as eggs, peanuts, shrimp, alpha-gal, dust mite, and timothy grass.<\/p>\n
During the study period, there were 285 cardiovascular-related deaths \u2013 229 in NHANES and 56 in MESA.<\/p>\n
Sensitivity to at least one food was significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality.<\/p>\n
Researchers reported that cow\u2019s milk had the most significant association. One reason may be that most people consume cow\u2019s milk in larger quantities in their daily diet.<\/p>\n
The researchers noted that the increased risk from food sensitivity could be comparable to the risks from smoking, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n
How the gut microbiome may play a role
\nScientists don\u2019t yet fully understand a lot about how the different organ systems in our body overlap and how dysfunction in one might cause dysfunction in another.<\/p>\n
Research on how the gut microbiome affects heart health has been published only in recent years.<\/p>\n
A review of researchTrusted Source published in 2022 states that the interplay between the intestinal microbiome and the human host occurs through the interaction of dietary intake (a type of environmental exposure) with the intestinal microbiota, leading to the production of metabolites that may serve as cardiac disease boosters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that food allergies can prompt inflammatory reactions in the gut, which increases heart disease,\u201d Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in California who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. \u201cIt is possible that food sensitivities also prompt inflammation but at a lower level.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a whole spectrum of diseases that smolder in our bodies. They may not have profound disease processes, but they can cause problems with other bodily systems,\u201d Weinberg added. \u201cWe often look at whatever part of our body is louder and address symptoms. But we do not always look at the whole body and consider that the organ systems overlap and see if we can quiet the loud noise by addressing other areas in our body.\u201d<\/p>\n
The authors of the study examined this as well.
\n\u201cWhat we looked at here was the presence of IgE antibodies to food that were detected in blood samples,\u201d Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, a study author and an allergy and immunology expert at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a press statement. \u201cWe don\u2019t think most of these subjects actually had an overt food allergy; thus, our story is more about an otherwise silent immune response to food. While these responses may not be strong enough to cause acute allergic reactions to food, they might nonetheless cause inflammation and over time lead to problems like heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weinberg suggests that people with food intolerances see their primary practitioner and specialists regularly to monitor symptoms and treat them when necessary. They might also benefit from seeing a nutritionist or dietician.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SLAMABAD, Nov 11 (ONLINE): In a new study, researchers report that people with a food sensitivity to cow\u2019s milk (lactose intolerance) and other common food allergens may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. They published their findings today in the Journal of Allergy and […]<\/p>\n
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