What's a Food Allergy -- and What's Not? | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED

People often confuse food allergies and food intolerances.

翻译人员: sylvia feng 校对人员: Gia Hwang

大家经常会混淆 食物过敏和食物不耐受，

But it's important to know the difference

但搞清其区别很重要，

because they each require a different treatment.

因为它们需要不同的方法来治疗。

So what is the difference?

那么，区别到底是什么呢？

[与珍·甘特博士聊聊 身体里的那些事]

[Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter]

A food allergy is your body's immune system

“食物过敏“是你身体的免疫系统

responding to specific proteins in certain foods.

对食物里某种 特定的蛋白起了反应。

For instance, in shellfish,

比如说，在贝类食物中

one of the triggers for allergic reactions is a protein called tropomyosin.

存在一种容易引起过敏 反应的蛋白质叫 “元肌球蛋白”；

And with peanuts, it can be a reaction to one of its many proteins.

另外，花生里也存在多种 引发过敏的蛋白质。

When a food particle enters the body of someone who's allergic,

当食物颗粒进入到 有过敏体质的身体里，

the body's immune system perceives it as a problem, an invader.

体内的免疫系统 就会把它当做入侵者，

就像你的身体会将 病毒判定为“威胁”一样。

Just as your body might respond to a virus as a threat,

with food allergies,

过敏食物简单的来说，

part of your immune system sees the protein of the food as a threat.

就是你免疫系统的一部分 将这种蛋白质当作入侵者。

The allergic reaction can be thought of as a disproportionate

“食物过敏”可以被当作 是身体的免疫系统

and inappropriate response from the immune system to the food.

对食物产生的“不良反应”。

Allergic reactions can range from being mild:

过敏反应可能表现的非常轻微，

tingles in the mouth, hives and rashes,

比如说口腔刺痛、 局部皮肤红肿瘙痒，

to being extremely severe, like having trouble breathing.

有时也会有严重的 症状，比如呼吸困难，

And they can even be life threatening.

并可能有着致命的风险。

Allergic reactions, with some exceptions,

除了某些特例， 过敏反应会迅速发生，

almost always happen quickly,

within 30 minutes of eating or exposure to the food.

过敏反应一般通常会在进食或者 接触食物 30 分钟以内发生。

A food intolerance, on the other hand,

另一方面，食物不耐受

is usually our body having trouble digesting certain foods.

通常是因为你的身体 无法消化某种食物。

Unlike allergies, food intolerances are not related to the immune system.

不同于食物过敏，食物不耐受 和你的免疫系统没有任何关系。

For instance, being lactose intolerant

比如说，乳糖不耐意味着

means you don't have enough of the enzyme that breaks down the lactose in dairy.

你体内分解乳制品里 乳糖的一种消化酶不足。

Intolerance to certain foods can often result in digestive issues,

食物不耐受通常会 导致一些消化系统问题，

including bloating, diarrhea or just generally feeling unwell.

包括腹胀、腹泻或者感觉不适。

Intolerance to food can happen pretty quickly too,

食物不耐受的反应有时很快，

but could also show up in the next few days.

但也有可能在接下来的几天内发生。

In other words,

换句话说，

if you experience unpleasantness from something you've eaten a day before,

如果你因为前一天的食物 而感到不舒服，

most of the time it's not an allergy.

那这大概率不是 食物过敏引起的。

There's a third kind of reaction

这里其实还有第三种不良反应，

that's neither an allergy or an intolerance.

它既不是食物过敏， 也不是食物不耐受。

For example, celiac disease is an autoimmune condition

比如，乳糜泻是一种

triggered by eating foods containing gluten.

食用麸质引起的免疫反应。

Celiac disease may share some similar symptoms to a food intolerance,

乳糜泻会和食物 不耐受有相似的症状，

such as bloating or belly pain.

比如说腹胀或者肚子疼。

But unlike celiac disease,

但与乳糜泻不同，食物 不耐受不会伤害小肠功能。

food intolerances don't damage the small intestine.

So with all these real but nuanced differences,

因此，有了所有这些 存在但微妙的差异，

what's the best way to get a proper diagnosis?

那么怎么样才能 做出准确的诊断呢？

Don’t get one of those “do-it-yourself at-home food-sensitivity” kits.

不要轻信所谓的“家庭自制 食物过敏性测试”的测试结果，

Those tests are not scientifically proven to do what they purport to do,

这些测试没有科学依据，

and they aren't reliable diagnostic tools.

它们并不能作为可信的诊断依据。

If you wonder whether you have an allergy or an intolerance

如果不确定你是食物 过敏还是食物不耐受

or celiac disease,

或是患上乳糜泻，

talk to your doctor.

和你的医生聊一聊，

They'll be able to recommend the right course of action.

他们会告诉你接下来怎么做。

And in the case of food allergies, an allergist is your go-to person.

如果是食物过敏，你应该 咨询一下过敏症专家，

The two common ways they'll be able to diagnose you

他们通常采用两种诊断方式是

is by taking a really good food history

梳理你过去的饮食记录，

and giving you an oral food challenge

并且让你在安全受控的 环境下，吃掉一些特定食物

by giving you certain foods and seeing what happens

in a medically safe and controlled environment.

来观察你进食过后身体的反应。

An allergist can also come up with a plan

过敏症专家还可以制定对策，

in case you're exposed to a food you're allergic to

以防你接触让你过敏的食物，

and may even be able to recommend treatments for some of those allergies.

他们有时还能推荐治疗过敏方案。