Food Allergies and Intolerance: Differences and Effects

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It is usual to hear that when people experience unpleasant body reactions due to the food they eat, they believe they have such food allergy. However, what they are unaware of is that it is not always a food allergy. Other kinds of reactions to foods that are not food allergies include food intolerances, food poisoning, and toxic reactions. What this article discusses is the differences and effects of food allergy and food intolerance.

Although the line between food intolerance and food allergy is somewhat blurred, here are several points according to studies.

Definition

Food allergy is an abnormal response to food that is triggered by a specific reaction in the immune system and expressed by certain, often characteristic, symptoms. True, allergic reactions to food involve the body’s immune system.

Food intolerance or food sensitivity differs from food allergy in that it is often not directly related to the immune system. Food intolerance is a slow negative reaction to a food unlike the fast allergy reaction.

With food allergy, unpleasant body reactions are caused by ‘allergens.’ These components are proteins that usually resist the heat of cooking, the acid in the stomach, and the intestinal digestive enzymes. When the body identifies a food as harmful, it produces antibodies directed against the food. The next time the food is consumed, the body sets up an immune response with the release of histamine and other chemicals that trigger allergic symptoms.

On the other hand, unpleasant body reactions due to food intolerance are caused by the absence of specific chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a food substance. The immune system reacts not to the food but to the toxic byproducts of undigested food. The mechanism of intolerances is not fully understood. Most are unexplained, but some are due to what was mentioned.

Symptoms

Food intolerance symptoms can resemble those of food allergy – no wonder why these two are often compared or mistaken.

Food allergy symptoms can include skin rash or hives, swelling of the tongue and throat, breathing problems including asthma, vomiting or diarrhea, and abdominal pain and cramping. Incidentally, the gastrointestinal symptoms of food allergy are those that are most often confused with the symptoms of different types of food intolerance. Severe allergic reactions may result in a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, or even death.

Symptoms of food intolerance include aches, gas, intermittent diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, skin rashes, migraine headaches, and an unproductive cough.

Which is more prevalent?

It is clinically proven that only about 1% of adults and 3% of children have true allergic reactions to food. Food intolerance is far more prevalent.

A common type of food intolerance is lactose intolerance. Persons with lactose intolerance lack an enzyme (called lactase) needed to digest the milk sugar (called lactose). They can develop gas, bloating, and abdominal pain when they consume milk.

Treatment

If you think you may have either food allergy or food intolerance, keep a diary of the foods you eat and any symptoms you experience. It will help your doctor to establish the correct diagnosis. The strategy of dealing with a food allergy is different from dealing with food intolerance. It is better to consult a doctor for treatment.

Summary

It is important to distinguish a true food allergy from other abnormal responses to food, that is, food intolerances, which are actually far more common than food allergy. At times, people become sick from eating a particular food because they cannot properly process or digest the food; otherwise, because they have a true allergic (immune) reaction to the food. Food allergies and food intolerance are frequently confused with each other, but they are quite different in terms of their origin, symptoms, and treatment.

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