Volume 7 of Advances in Nutritional Research continues the theme of this series in providing authoritative accounts of the current state of knowledge regarding major topics of research in the nutritional sciences. The topics have been selected for their interest to researchers, students, and teachers in medicine, agriculture, and the various branches of the biological sciences which relate to nutritional health. The authenticity of the accounts is assured by the widely recognized contributions of the authors to research on their respective topics. vii Contents 1 Chapter 1. Food Allergy ........... . David J. Pearson and Alison McKee 1. Introduction............................... 1.1. General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2. Classification of Adverse Reactions to Foods . . . . . . .. . . 2 1.3. Classification and Time Course of Allergic Reactions . . . .. 4 2. The Atopic Syndrome ......................... 5 2.1. Atopy ............................... 5 2.2. IgE (Reaginic) Antibodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 6 . . 3. The Diagnosis of Food Allergy .................... 8 3.1. Provocative Feeding Tests .................... 8 3.2. Skin Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.3. Measurement of Specific Antibodies 10 3.3.1. IgE Antibodies ... 10 3.3.2. Non-IgE Antibodies . . . . . 11 3.4. Controversial Techniques . . . . . . 11 3.5. Summary of Diagnostic Procedures .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . 12 4. Clinical Food Allergic Syndromes. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 13 . 4.1. Classical Reaginic Syndromes . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 13 . . 4.1.1. Presenting Complaints .................. 13 4.1.2. Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 13 . . . .