Food Allergies Alter Nutrient Intake in Adults

TOPLINE:

Adults with milk or egg allergies and those with a combination of milk/egg and peanut or tree nut allergies had significantly lower intake of cholesterol, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and medium-chain (MC) FAs than the general population. The mixed allergy group also consumed more fiber, genistein, and daidzein.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers compared intakes of nutrients and food compounds between Dutch adults aged 19 years or older with confirmed food allergies (n = 73; 70% women) and matched control individuals of the same age range (n = 415; 64% women).
• Adults with allergies were categorized as those with milk/egg allergy (n = 16), peanut/tree nut allergy (n = 35), and combined milk/egg and peanut/tree nut allergies, also referred to as mixed allergy (n = 22).
• Dietary intake was assessed using structured 24-hour recalls on 2 nonconsecutive days (1 weekday and 1 weekend day).

TAKEAWAY:

• Intakes of beta-lactose, butyric acid, caproic acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, lauric acid, myristoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, and unspecified saturated fatty acids were significantly lower in the milk/egg and mixed allergy groups than the general population, with 1.6-3.2 and 1.3-2.9 lower mean defined intake levels, respectively.
• The combined allergy group had 1.7-1.8 times higher consumption of several bell pepper compounds (primarily capsianosides and capsaicinoids) than the general population.
• The milk/egg allergy group had 4.6-4.7 times higher intakes of soy polyphenols (daidzein and genistein) than the general population.
• The intake of food compounds was not significantly different between the peanut/tree nut allergy group and general population.

IN PRACTICE:

“Notably, milk/egg and mixed allergic individuals showed a significantly lower intake of SCFA and MCFA that are presumed to play a beneficial role in the human body, including intestinal health. The low intake of these fatty acids may therefore potentially negatively affect their health,” the authors wrote. “On the other hand, lower cholesterol and higher total fiber, genistein, and daidzein intakes in the mixed allergic group might provide a health benefit over the general population.”

SOURCE:

Marie Y. Meima, with University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on July 11 in Nutrients.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was potentially limited by the small sample size of the allergy groups, absence of data on supplement use, and coverage of only 489 food compounds, which represents just a fraction of the tens of thousands of compounds present in the diet.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by Dutch Governmental TNO Research Cooperation Funds. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.