Excess weight and IgG food allergies
Inflammatory processes that promote obesity may be intensified by an IgG food allergy
Obesity is a chronic disease which is characterized by severe excess weight and a pathologically increased body fat percentage. It is very stressful for the body and often a psychological burden for the people affected. Excess weight and obesity may be due to metabolic disorders.
The exact mechanisms of the disease are not completely understood yet. However, it is clear that low-grade inflammatory processes play a role in obesity. An IgG food allergy may intensify such inflammatory processes. ImuPro helps you to detect such delayed food allergies and supports you with individual guidelines based on your test results. Learn more.
Obesity increases health risks for:Obesity and excess weight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases.
If a person is obese or overweight, this means that he or she is carrying excess body fat. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that might affect your weight include your genetic makeup, overeating, monotonous diet, excess carbohydrate and fat intake, and not being physically active.
Obesity increases health risks for:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Arthritis
- Some cancers
The diagnosis of obesity
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify excess weight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters (kg/m2). People with BMI > 25 kg/m2 meet the criterion for being overweight (BMI 25-29.9). If they have a BMI > 30, it indicates obesity. However, to get a complete clinical picture it is also important to analyse whether the weight gain negatively impacts the health of a patient.
The causes of obesity
While many factors may influence an individual’s weight, excess weight and obesity are due mainly to an imbalance of energy intake from the diet and energy expenditure (through physical activities and bodily functions). Genetic and environmental factors play a role, but attention to diet and physical activity is important not only for preventing weight gain, but also for weight loss and subsequent maintenance.
With obesity, systemic inflammatory activities are found. Inflammatory response to food induces the production of messenger proteins like TNF-alpha.
The messenger substance TNF-alpha blocks the receptors for insulin and so impedes the cell’s energy supply. The blood sugar present in the blood cannot or can only be transported to a restricted extent into the cell where it is urgently needed. This may activate two mechanisms:
1. Sugar becomes fat
Since the sugar remains in the blood, the blood sugar level remains elevated. The liver transforms the blood sugar increasingly into fatty acids which are then deposited in the fat cells. The blockage of the insulin receptors results in more and more insulin being released. The increased insulin concentration prevents the reconversion of fatty acids into blood sugar. The means that the energy stored in the fatty deposits is no longer available to the body.
2. Energy consumption decreases
The Individual cells have less energy at their disposal. Therefore, the cell activity is reduced and the basal metabolic rate, i.e. the quantity of calories used at rest, diminishes.
In the case of an IgG food allergy the immune system produces IgG antibodies against certain food stuffs. IgG antibodies are created in increasing quantities, TNF alpha will be released in larger amounts and more receptors intended for insulin will be blocked. This means that the inflammatory processes may be intensified.
The scientific approach to obesity and IgG
The identification of foodstuffs that may trigger inflammatory conditions could offer a good possibility to exert a positive influence on the inflammation through a corresponding change in diet. IgG seems to be the best indicator for identifying a food as being pro-inflammatory. Every time a food comes in contact with a corresponding IgG antibody, an inflammatory response is launched. Studies have shown that an IgG guided diet has a positive effect on weight loss and stabilisation of the glucose metabolism.
For example, the study “IgG antibodies against food antigens are correlated with inflammation and intima media thickness in obese juveniles” Wilders-Truschnig et al. ECED published online 2007; DOI 10.1055/s-2007-993165showed a significant correlation between obesity, elevated IgG antibodies and inflammation. Thus, elevated IgG levels for food could be involved in the development of excess weight.
