Manage Food Additive Allergy

शीतमारुतसंस्पर्शात्प्रदूष्टौकफमारुतौ।
पित्तेनसहसंभूयबहिरन्तविसर्पत:॥ (मा.नि.५॰/१) ॥

Estimates are that 2000 to 20,000 agents are added to the food and pharmaceuticals that we consume. These include preservatives, stabilizers, conditioners, thickeners, colorings, flavorings, sweeteners, and antioxidants. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Food additives as “substances added to food to maintain or improve its safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance ”Food additives include the following groups:

• Food dyes and colourings (such as tartrazine, annatto, and carmine)
• Antioxidants (such as BHA and BHT)
• Emulsifiers and stabilizers (such as gums and lecithin)
• Flavourings and taste enhancers (such as MSG, spices, and sweeteners)
• Preservatives (such as benzoates, nitrites, and acids)

Food hypersensitivity is defined as an adverse reaction to food or a food additive and can be mediated by two different mechanisms: immunologic and non-immunologic. Immunologic reactions are divided into 3 groups: IgE-mediated (allergic reactions), non-IgE mediated (cell-mediated) or both. On the contrary, non-immunologic reactions do not involve the immune system and they are also defined “food intolerances”. 

In Ayurveda, symptoms of this allergic condition can be correlated with the disease entities such as Sheeta pitta, Udarda and Kotha. Various etiological factors like asaatmya ahara (uncongenial/allergenic food), viruddha ahara (incompatible food combinations), dushi visha (poisonous/allergic in nature) etc.; plays a major role in causation of these conditions Food additives can be included under either virudha, dushivisha or Asatmya ahara depending upon the patient. Various forms of urticaria, angioedema etc. allergic conditions can be correlated with Sheeta pitta, Udarda and Kotha. Sheetapitta and Udarda both are used synonymously but with a slight difference. Sheeta pitta is a vata predominant condition whereas Udarda is kapha predominant.