What is the difference between food allergies and food intolerance?

Food allergies occur when your immune system reacts immediately and severely to a food. White blood cells, specifically mast cells, release large amounts of histamine. This type of allergic reaction to food can sometimes cause serious illness and even death. Common reactions are hives sever congestion and difficulty breathing. Severe reactions are referred to as anaphylactic reaction. During an anaphylactic reaction a person suffers from sever inflammation of the tissue resulting which can lead to difficulty breathing, rash and even death. (1-9) Statistics of up to six percent of children and three percent of adults are said to have this type of IgE-mediated food allergy. (10, 11) These severe reactions that happen when you are truly allergic make it relatively easy to diagnose. Often when you ask your doctor to test you for food allergies, they are testing for this type of reaction. The skin prick tests is the more commonly used test by allergist. They are fairly reliable for the detection of IgE to environmental allergens, but are not well correlated with food allergies or food intolerance. (12-15)

Food intolerance occurs when your body mistakes a harmless food for something bad. Your immune system makes IgG antibodies, which trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines resulting in unwanted symptoms. Some of the symptoms include chronic headaches, fatigue, eczema, joint pain, psoriasis, bloating, flatulence, depression, insomnia and weight gain. Food Intolerance imitates many other conditions like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, ADD, ADHD, asthma, migraines, and hypoglycemia. Reactions can occur up to 72 hours after you consume the food. This type of delayed reaction often makes it difficult to figure out. The cause of food intolerance is unknown. There are several factors that seem to play a role in food intolerance. Most often indigestion, stress and genetics play the biggest role in food intolerance. It is estimated that somewhere between 45-60% of people have this kind of food intolerance. (16, 17) The best way to test for food intolerance is to request an IgG blood test from you doctor. If that is not available to you, try eliminating the most common allergenic foods for three weeks and then reintroduce them one at a time.

Indigestion is one of the more common symptoms to food intolerance. As we get older the amount of acid and enzymes we produce to digest our food decreases. With a decreased ability to break down you food, your body is more likely to attack. Stress is another huge factor in digestiong. Remember when you were a kid and had the butterflies in your stomach. Emotional changes effect digestion. Perhaps as an adult you don’t experience butterflies; instead it is full on anxiety attack that you so willingly treat with what ever medication will get you through your day. And why wouldn’t you. It stinks to have anxiety! Irregular emotions and life changing events are big triggers that effect digestion and how your immune system relates and reacts to foods.

Watch our videos to learn more on Flatulence & Food Intolerance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0S3WefknhY

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