How is an allergy to chocolate: photos, symptoms?

The most common type of food allergy is the body's response to chocolate, which is more characteristic of children than adults. Such sensitivity of the body to this delicacy and dishes from it arises in response to some ingredients of this product that are powerful allergens. What are they? How does this type of food allergy manifest? What are the symptoms and characteristics of it? Who is at risk? How to treat this ailment? So, about all this in order.

The main allergens

Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are used for chocolate making, depending on the amount of the content of which the type of chocolate depends( in bitter chocolate - not less than 50% cocoa powder, in milk - about 35%).Cocoa butter is present in all grades of chocolate, even in white. But these products are on the last place in the list of "aggressive" allergens.

As cocoa butter is an expensive component, many manufacturers replace it with cheaper and more economical options: palm, peanut, coconut, soybean oil. And they are powerful agents of allergy in humans.

A huge and unpredictable reaction of the body can cause chitin( the substance that makes up the skeleton of arthropods), which is present in the composition of chocolate. But how did he get into this product? The fact is that cockroaches are very fond of cocoa beans. Clean up the raw materials from insects completely fails to any manufacturer. This substance is not soluble in acids, in water, in alcohol, or in alkalis. Chitin, along with the raw material, falls into the product and, according to the doctors, it causes allergy.

Chocolate contains dry milk, which is also able to cause a reaction in the body in humans. Particularly at risk are people who are allergic to milk protein.

Almost all chocolate products contain soy lecithin, as part of the product it is labeled "antioxidant E 322".It is very susceptible to children aged 2-3 years, it is this component that causes them allergic reactions.

Many people like chocolate with nuts, most often peanuts or peanut butter, which are also powerful allergens, both in children and adults.

In addition to all the listed harmful ingredients, the product includes preservatives, flavors, stabilizers, chemical additives, which often cause unpredictable reactions of the body.

The majority of allergy sufferers and people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases are reconciled with the fact that they are allergic to chocolate. Photos with varying degrees of severity of reactions to this product filled the Internet. Created a huge number of sites and videos, which are devoted to this topic. It does not leave almost anyone indifferent.

This delicacy for some people is very harmful and dangerous, but for others it is very useful, as it helps to cope with fatigue, stress, depression, bad mood. Why, in some cases, does chocolate benefit, and in others - harm? The answer to this question lies in the immune system of each individual organism.

Allergic reaction and its symptoms

Allergy to chocolate in adults and young children manifests itself in different ways, each person individually. The degree of reaction depends on the general state of immunity and on the amount of eaten dainties. The most common symptoms of chocolate allergy are:

• a small skin rash that resembles red pimples, mainly appears on the hands, legs, elbows and knee bends, back, chest, abdomen, very rarely on the face;

• itching at the site of the rash;
• dry skin with signs of peeling or, conversely, damp erosion;
• GI disorder: diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, vomiting, nausea;
• nasal congestion;
• tear;
• tingling in the area of ​​the tongue, larynx, palate;
• cough;
• irritability and weakness.

In addition to the main symptoms, there are other negative reactions of the body. For example, caffeine can cause breathing problems and an attack in people with asthma.

Gastrointestinal problems are associated with lactose intolerance of the body. If there is intolerance to soy - there will be weakness, nausea, fatigue, lowering blood pressure. Nasal congestion, tingling, swelling in the mouth testify to the body's reaction to fruit.

Allergens affect the body within an hour after consuming the product. But it should be borne in mind that a single use of delicacies does not cause a reaction, it only arises when it is used systematically.

When urgent medical attention is needed?

If, along with the usual symptoms, the tongue or larynx starts to swell, the patient must be urgently taken to the hospital. Swelling of the oral mucosa, tongue or larynx can cause breathing problems, and, as a result, death.

Allergy to chocolate, can exacerbate bronchial asthma, which is also dangerous for health.

Immediate address to a doctor, in these cases, can save a person's life.

In addition, if there is a reaction of the body to a food product, you should go to the doctor's examination and identify a specific allergen, after which it is necessary to conduct an immunotherapy that will relieve the allergic reaction of the body to this component.

Children usually go through with age, without any specialized treatment. But, it should be noted that allergy doctors generally do not recommend giving chocolate to children under 5 years of age, since the formation of the GIT function occurs just prior to this turning-point age, and the consumed chocolate exerts a strain on the child's still unsettled stomach, which, as a consequence,manifested in allergies.

Risk group

Many believe that the allergy to chocolate is peculiar only to children. This is absolutely not so. Sensitivity to this product can manifest at any age, even from an absolutely healthy person who has never suffered from this ailment.

But there is a category of people who are more susceptible to allergies to this delicacy:

• Children. They eat a lot of sweet, and the immune system works a little differently than adults.
• The elderly. Their organisms are slagged, the immune system is weak.
• People who have allergies to other foods or substances.
• People with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammatory bowel diseases, gastritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis.

Allergy is intensified by intestinal dysbacteriosis and nervous exhaustion of the body.

How the chocolate allergy is manifested in babies

Children are very fond of everything sweet and they consume these foods in large quantities. But not all parents, unfortunately, follow the quality and quantity of treats that their baby absorbs.

Doctors do not recommend giving black chocolate to children( there is a high content of cocoa in it), since it can put a lot of stress on the baby's digestive system. The first time you can give a try a small piece, not earlier than a year and a half.

If after a small piece of the baby has a rash, colic, greenish stool, chocolate should be discarded, and the baby should be shown to the allergist.

The most common sign of allergy to chocolate in children is the appearance of red spots on the cheeks - diathesis. It is often accompanied by abdominal pain, green feces, itchy skin and a choking cough. But the causative agents of this ailment at an early age can also be avitaminosis, hypothermia, improper diet, vaccinations, viral diseases.

Allergy in Adulthood

The reaction of the body to this delicacy in adults is very rare. Often the cause of it are nuts( peanuts), soy, milk, which are contained in the product.

However, with age, the risk of developing such an ailment increases.

Treatment of a disease

If you have any symptoms of an allergy, you should consult a specialist, identify the source. And only then proceed to treatment, which should be comprehensive and adequate.

The course of treatment consists of the following stages:

1. Taking antihistamines. With a rash on the skin, there are enough special creams and ointments that will remove the itching. With conjunctivitis, colds are prescribed drugs of the 2 nd and 3 rd generation: Telfast, Diazolin, Kestin, Claritin, - all of them have the least amount of side effects.
2. Cleansing of blood and intestines. Allergy could be due to slagging of the body and dysbiosis. To eliminate these problems, sorbents are assigned: activated carbon and its analogues. Then they prescribe a course of taking lactobacilli, which restore the digestive tract. Ate there was a urticaria, prescribe a preparation for purification of blood - "Plasmapheresis".
3. Compliance with diet. For each person, it is selected individually, but there are general rules.

Allergy can be treated with folk methods, but in combination with traditional medicine. For example, wipe the place of rashes with decoctions of herbs: turn, oregano, nettle, sage. Make compresses and coniferous-valerian baths and lotions.

Children are treated for allergy only with the administration of small doses of antihistamines. For the period of treatment, sweets should be excluded from their diet, even those that consist of natural products.

Diet

During treatment and during an exacerbation of ailment it is necessary to observe a special diet, which is divided into:

• Specific. It consists in the exclusion of beef, exotic fruits, kiwi, bananas, beans, milk.
• Nonspecific. It presupposes an exception only during the period of exacerbation of alcoholic and carbonated drinks, pickles, sweets, fatty and spicy food.

It is recommended to limit the use of citrus fruits, apples, peaches, apricots, currants, gooseberries, potatoes.

Which chocolate is the safest?

If there is a tendency to intolerance of a food product, then it is worth replacing the usual chocolate with an organic one. It is more expensive, but safer and less likely to cause allergic reactions of the body.

In addition, when buying chocolate, several rules should be remembered:

• a quality product quickly melts in hands, that is, it was made with cocoa butter;
• it is more fragile and easily breaks;
• has a glossy surface;
• without a pungent odor.

What if you really want chocolate, but you can not?

The forbidden fruit is the sweetest. But you can replace it or find a more suitable treat. You can try replacing chocolate with a different kind, for example, black on white or vice versa( this does not always help).

Or else quite different sweets: marmalade, dried fruits, pastilles, halva, marshmallows, honey. An excellent substitute for chocolate can be hematogen.

Instead of withdrawal

If there is a reaction of the body to any product, you should consult a doctor, undergo a general examination and get adequate treatment. Do not engage in self-medication, very often it may not be chocolate, but, for example, in the GI disease, skin problems, weakened immunity, beriberi and other ailments. In time, the identified problem will prevent more serious consequences and diseases.

Easier to warn than to heal. In the case of babies it is easier to limit than to suffer consequences afterwards. Most allergenic to chocolate children. Photos of her manifestation are really horrible: red cheeks covered with diathesis, all in a rash little hands, suffering crumbs. ..

Health is the most expensive and should not be spent on minute pleasures.