Food Intolerance vs Food Allergy: How to Choose?

Many people all around the world face the conditions of Food Intolerance and Food Allergy but most of them really don’t know the difference between the two. Unquestionably, it is important to try and understand the difference between these two different conditions. People usually get confused between the two because both have certain similar symptoms.

Food Allergy

In food allergy, when people consume certain food items they develop symptoms which occurs with every exposure to that particular food. A food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects many organs in the body. In this case, your body’s reaction to a particular food could be life-threatening. For example, if you are allergic to curd, your body identifies curd as an allergen. The immune system, therefore, produces immunoglobulin E or IgE as an overreaction.

It is thus also called IgE based food allergy.

Causes

A food allergic reaction involves the immune system. Your immune system controls how your body defends itself. Your immune system overreacts by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). These antibodies, then, travel to cells that release chemicals. This causes an allergic reaction.

Symptoms

There are various symptoms of food allergy. It’s symptoms appear quicker than food tolerance. As a matter of fact, symptoms of a food allergy range from mild to severe. These encompass-

• hives
• itchiness
• swelling of the skin
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• breathing
• dizziness
• loss of consciousness
• pale or blue colouring of skin
• repetitive cough
• weak pulse
• trouble swallowing

Respiratory symptoms may accompany skin and gastrointestinal symptoms, but don’t usually occur alone. Also, the most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis.

Common food items responsible

Doctors have identified certain food items that are responsible for most of the food allergies. These include-

• eggs
• peanuts
• milk
• tree nuts
• fish
• wheat
• soy
• shellfish

Food Intolerance

Food intolerance is a difficulty in digesting some foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them. Also, food intolerance response takes place in the digestive system. It occurs when you are unable to properly breakdown the food. This could be due to enzyme deficiencies, sensitivity to food additives or reactions to naturally occurring chemicals in foods. However, food intolerance is generally not life-threatening.

It is also known as IgG based food sensitivity.

Causes

It can be caused by many different foods. However, it is not yet clear as to why a person is sensitive to certain food items. People can be intolerant to lactose and find eating dairy products difficult. They might as well be intolerant to gluten.
In brief, there are various food items that are classified as harmful for the body and cause intolerance. It can be said that it mainly occurs due to-

1. absence of a particular enzyme
2. Food toxicity
3. salicylates
4. hereditary

Symptoms

It causes symptoms that happen gradually. Consequently, a few hours after eating the problem food. Furthermore, it only results in symptoms if you eat a substantial amount of food. Certain common symptoms include-

• stomach ache
• bloating
• diarrhoea
• skin rashes
• itching
• migraines
• runny nose
• irritable bowel
• hives

Facts about food intolerance

Last but not least, I would like to tell you about certain facts related to food intolerance.

• Symptoms of food intolerance tend to take longer to appear than symptoms of allergies
• The symptoms are varied and at the same time, are similar to symptoms of other diseases.
• Some food intolerance is caused by the lack of a particular enzyme.

With this, we reach the end of the article and I hope it was equally helpful. To summarize, I want you to know that if you experience any symptom you should eventually ask doctors for help. I, also, want you to remember that “health is wealth”, so take care of your very important health.