Understanding Food Allergies
- Sep 16, 2025
- 1 min read
Published on March, 2017
NIH – News In Health
How to Prevent Peanut Allergy and More
Have you noticed food allergy warnings at restaurants? Maybe you’ve heard about peanut-free classrooms and flights. People who have serious reactions to certain foods must be careful about what they eat, and what others eat around them. There’s no cure for food allergies. But researchers are learning more about how to prevent and treat this condition.
Allergic reactions happen when your immune system—your body’s defense against germs and foreign substances—overreacts to something that’s normally harmless. In the United States, most food allergies are caused by peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, wheat, and soy. Allergies show up most often in children. But they can develop at any age.
Food allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe (see Wise Choices box). Some people experience a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include trouble breathing, dizziness, and fainting. When you have a food allergy, there’s no way to predict how your body will react when you’re exposed. You might have a mild reaction one time and a severe reaction the next.
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