Lately, I have been seeing more and more patients being diagnosed with a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). EoE is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus. Symptoms include, swallowing difficulty, food impaction, and heartburn. Diagnosis is made through biopsy of the esophagus via endoscopy. Conventional medical doctors often prescribe corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors, and/or antihistamines for treating EoE. However, like many conditions, food intolerances are often times the cause of EoE and once the offending food is identified and removed symptoms disappear.
A study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology in 2011, researched six foods, cow’s milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, seafood, and egg, through the process of elimination and reintroduction as the cause of EoE. The most common foods identified as cause were cow’s milk (74%), wheat (26%), eggs (17%), soy (10%), and peanut (6%). Milk was 8 times more likely to cause EoE compared with wheat, the next most common food.
Again, the idea that many Gastroenterologists have about food not being associated to many GI issues is yet again proven wrong through research. As Hippocrates stated so clearly, “Let food by thy medicine.”
References:
Kagalwalla AF, et al. Identification of specific foods responsible for inflammation in children with eosinophilic esophagitis successfully treated with empiric elimination diet.J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2011 Aug;53(2):129-30