Dr. Marks on TV!

Check out our very own Dr. Katie Marks in this speciality clip about Gluten allergies!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWeLIFEhXYM&feature=player_embedded

Ingredient alert - Burger King onion rings

Burger King resturants would like to inform you that the new onion rings that became available in November contain wheat and milk ingredients. All ingredient declarations are available online on www.bk.com in the nutrition and allergen download section. This nutrition page provides the most up-to-date listing of all ingredients, allergens, and general nutrition information. For more information, contact Burger King at (305)378-3535.

Ingredient Notice - Mars

A new Snickers bar variety, called Snickers Slice n' Share, has a different allergen advisory statement than other SNICKERS bars. The Snickers Slice n' Share bar states "May Contain Tree Nuts and Wheat" because it is made on equipment that also uses these allergens. Other Snickers bars continue to state "May Contain Almonds" because they are made on different equipment. Snickers Slice n' Share, is a 1-lb bar, which is significantly larger than other Snickers bars.

Snickers Slice n' Share bars are available for the holiday season in CVS stores between November and February.

As always, Mars Chocolate North America urges you to read all labels for current allergen information. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please call (800) 551-0702.

Ingredient Notice - General Mills

General Mills Dark Chocolate Chex Mix labels have changed. No changes have occurred in the product allergen content (it contains milk, wheat, and soy); this is a change only to the advisory/cautionary "May Contain" statement on the label due to a change in the manufacturing location. The product may contain peanuts. Product packaging with the new "May Contain" statement took effect in October.

Fiber One Mocha chewy bars label has changed. No changes have occurred in the product allergen content; this is a change only to the advisory/cautionary "May Contain" statement on the label due to a change in the manufacturing location. The previous allergen statement was: Contains soy and milk, may contain wheat ingredients; the new allergen statement will be: Contains soy and milk, may contain wheat, peanut, almond, and sunflower ingredients. Product packaging with the new "May Contain" statement came on the market in October.

General Mills urges you to read all labels for current allergen information. For more information, contact General Mills Consumer Services at (800) 231-0308.

"Gluten-Free" food labels, are they coming?

Having trouble finding gluten-free foods? The FDA is proposing a rule to label foods as "Gluten-Free," read more at http://1.usa.gov/BoGxi .

Can you lose allergies to foods?

If you have been found to have an allergy to a food such as milk or wheat by skin test or blood test (specific IgE antibody), and eating that food leads to hives, swelling, itchiness, diarrhea, or wheezing, you will of course be advised to avoid that food. But in many cases, after staying completely away from it for 6-12 months (longer if extremely allergic), you may eventually lose the hypersensitivity to that food and will again be able to safely eat it. Recent studies show that this may be due to down-regulation of receptors over time. This rule does not tend to apply to severe allergy to peanut, nuts, or seafood -- these tend to last a lifetime; only 1 in 5 children with peanut allergy will "outgrow" it.

Is there a difference between having a wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity/celiac disease?

Wheat allergy is not the same as celiac disease. While both result in an intolerance to wheat, and both improve by removing wheat from the diet, the processes involved are very different.

With wheat allergy, as with any other food hypersensitivity, the immune system reacts to repeated ingestion of wheat protein by producing IgE antibodies -- a type of immunologic response that leads to sensitization of cells in the gut, skin, and respiratory lining. Once these cells are sensitized, all it takes is a small amount of exposure to wheat in the diet for them to release histamine and other chemicals that lead to a variety of allergy symptoms, ranging from itchy skin, hives, and lip or eyelid swelling to respiratory symptoms like wheezing or cough, to intestinal symptoms like cramping or diarrhea. Wheat-specific IgE can often be lost over time if wheat is eliminated completely from the diet for a year or more.

Celiac disease, on the other hand, is a condition where gluten (a protein found in wheat, oats, and barley) stimulates a different type of nonallergic immune reaction, leading to flattening of the fingerlike projections that normally line the intestines, and malabsorption of nutrients. This can be confirmed with a biopsy of the intestinal lining, and with blood tests for specific IgG antibodies commonly found in celiac disease. Symptoms are strictly gastrointestinal, and dramatically improve on a gluten-free diet -- but unlike wheat allergy, reintroduction of gluten in the diet is not likely to be tolerated.

Take home message: Distinguishing between wheat allergy and celiac disease is important in determining proper management and risk for future reactions.