Even Trace Amounts of Food Allergen Can Cause a Reaction

❌ “Just a little bit won’t hurt” ❌

If you have food allergies, you’ve probably heard this before.

What most non-allergic people don't realize is that even a tiny amount of allergen intake (as little as 1/44,000 of a peanut kernel) is enough to cause an allergic reaction and sometimes even anaphylaxis.

This is why you can’t just pick the nuts off of a salad or scrape the cheese off of a burger. Although ingestion is the primary cause of severe allergic reactions, in it’s also possible that skin contact or breathing in a food protein (e.g., steam from cooking shellfish) can cause a reaction.

But ever wonder why even a trace amount of allergenic food can trigger a reaction? It’s primarily related to the way the immune system functions and how it recognizes allergens. When an allergen enters the body — even a tiny amount — immune cells known as mast cells and basophils release chemicals, such as histamine. It is these chemicals that are responsible for the symptoms of an allergic reaction. Once the immune system identifies an allergen, it can respond more vigorously upon subsequent exposures. This is why even small amounts of allergenic food can lead to more severe reactions over time.

To prevent this, it's crucial for you to avoid your allergens entirely and be prepared with an epinephrine auto-injector, in case of accidental exposure.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/allergies/food-allergy-intolerances