FOOD INTOLERANCE vs FOOD ALLERGY

Our life is governed by food in a lot of ways and physical reactions to certain foods are common, but most are caused by a food intolerance rather than a food allergy. Sometimes, a food intolerance can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as a food allergy, so people often confuse the two.

An individual can be triggered by even a small amount of the food and food allergies occur every time the food is consumed. People dealing with food allergies are generally advised to avoid offending foods completely. Whereas, on the other hand, food intolerances often are dose related; people with food intolerance may not have symptoms unless they eat a large portion of the food or eat the food frequently.

Some of the symptoms of food allergy and food intolerance are similar, but the differences between the two are very important.

Food Allergy:

Our immune system is the body’s defence against invaders like bacteria, fungus, or the common cold virus. When an individual has a food allergy, their immune system wrongly sees the food as hostile and the body’s defence mechanism springs into action. So, food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as hives, difficulty in breathing and can be fatal. Such reactions are also referred to as IgE mediated reactions. Food allergies are mostly caused by some common food items such as eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, soybeans etc.

Symptoms of a food allergy varies from person to person and can range from mild to severe depending on the food that triggers a reaction.

Symptoms of a food allergy may include:

• Rash or hives
• Nausea
• Cramping stomach pain
• Diarrhoea
• Itchy skin
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Swelling of the airways to the lungs

Food Intolerance:

Food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Different food intolerances have different causes. The immune system is usually not involved, when someone is intolerant to food. An intolerance occurs when the body is unable to digest a certain component of a food, such as lactose, a sugar found in milk. So, food intolerance is an IgG- mediated immune response that may be associated with unwanted symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain and headaches.

Symptoms of food intolerance include:

• Stomach pain
• Gas, cramps or bloating
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Diarrhoea
• Headaches
• Irritability or nervousness

Hence, food allergy and food intolerance are totally different disorders. If an individual suffers from a true food allergy or a food intolerance, always discuss it with the allergist in order to get proper evaluation. Also, it’s important to remove any foods from the diet that are causing a problem, but it’s just as important not to remove a food from the diet unless it is documented to cause the symptoms.

Over to you

Thus, the difference between a food allergy and sensitivity is the body’s response. So, when you have a food allergy, your immune system causes the reaction and if you have a food sensitivity or intolerance, the reaction is triggered by the digestive system.