Hypersensitivity Reactions to Food Additives—Preservatives, Antioxidants, Flavor Enhancers

Mateusz Witkowski (), Halina Grajeta and Krzysztof Gomułka
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Mateusz Witkowski: Department of Dietetics and Food Science, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Halina Grajeta: Department of Dietetics and Food Science, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Krzysztof Gomułka: Department of Internal Disease, Pneumology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-369 Wroclaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: There have been reports of food hypersensitivity reactions to food additives (HFA) for many years. The mechanisms of HFA and their frequency are difficult to precisely define, as most of the data come from outdated studies with poor methodology. In 2020, the European Food Safety Authority completed a review of additives, examining their influence on the occurrence of HFA, but did not include all of them. The aim of this review is to systematise knowledge about selected groups of food additives (FAs) and the HFA induced by them. We also briefly discuss the issues of diagnosis and therapy in this disease. FAs are commonly used in prosscessed foods, but HFA appears to be a rare phenomenon. Identification of the FA responsible for hypersensitivity and its treatment is difficult. Diagnosis is a challenge for the clinician and for the patient. A food diary is a helpful diagnostic tool. It allows diet therapy to be monitored based on the partial or complete elimination of products containing a harmful additive. An elimination diet must not be deficient, and symptomatic pharmacotherapy may be necessary if its application is ineffective. Taking all this into account, we conclude that it is necessary to conduct randomised multicentre studies based on the double-blind placebo control protocol in this field.

Keywords: allergy; hypersensitivity; food additives functions; consumer safety; therapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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