Food Sensitivity in Individuals with Altered and Unaltered Digestive Tracts

Authors

Walker Carson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Jacques Izard

Date of this Version

5-2021

Document Type

Article

Comments

A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Food Science and Technology, Under the Supervision of Professor Jacques Izard. Lincoln, Nebraska: May 2021

Copyright © 2021 Walker K Carson

Abstract

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) against food proteins has become the subject of much discussion with regards to its role in adverse food reactions. An estimated 20% of the population suffers from some type of food intolerance. Food sensitivity can present with a vast range of symptoms and severities. Diet can have a substantial impact on the wellbeing of individuals with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Incidentally, these diseases have been associated with elevated levels of food-specific IgG as well an increased likelihood of food sensitivity. The presence of food-specific IgG and food sensitivity in individuals with digestive tracts that have been altered by ostomy surgery has not been previously evaluated. Understanding the relationship between various disease states and the presence of food-specific IgG could open the door to better understanding of food sensitivity and the underlying mechanisms. Ostomates provide a particularly useful insight into the development of food-specific IgG by illuminating the impact of different regions of the digestive tract on oral tolerance and therefore the generation of food-specific IgG. In this thesis, by assessing the presence of food-specific IgG in individuals with altered digestive tracts, we have further explored the relationship between disease status, intestinal permeation, and food sensitivity.

Advisor: Jacques Izard