What’s the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance? This is a question I get asked all the time. So let’s become clear on the differences.
A true food allergy involves your body’s immune system. When the body identifies the food as harmful, it produces antibodies directed against that food. The next time that food is consumed the body mounts an immune response with the release of histamine and other chemicals that trigger allergic symptoms. A common food allergy example is peanuts.
Food intolerances are different because they do not involve the immune system. They are a digestive system response rather than an immune response. A common example of this is lactose intolerance.
Only 6 to 8% of children under the age of 3, and only 2 to 4% of adults have true food allergies. Food intolerances are much more common.
A study done in Great Britain showed there was a 10-fold increase in food intolerances in the past 25 years. Why the rise? Scientists hypothesize that our environment is the cause; poor soil quality and pollutants, intensive farming, food additives and stressful lifestyles. We don’t seem to be feeding our children real food anymore, most of the food in stores today have been developed in a laboratories. In addition, the rise in the use of antibiotics in the last 25 years has caused our gut’s immune system to become compromised and therefore also contributes to the rise in food sensitivities.
Food allergy symptoms can be similar to food intolerances such as, skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain to name a few, but also can be as severe as anaphylactic shock requiring emergency care.
Food intolerance reactions may not be seen or felt for 2-3 days after eating the problematic food. This is why it is often times harder to identify food intolerances. In addition, food intolerance reactions can contribute to a variety of health conditions, common ones are as follows: migraines, joint pain fatigue, fibromylagia and IBS symptoms.
Conventionally, doctors use skin prick tests to identify possible food allergies. This will not detect food intolerances however. Elimination diets are an easy, affordable way to identify food intolerances. Our office is also using Alcat testing to help determine possible food intolerances and work great for the people that don’t want to go through the rigors of eliminating favorite foods to identify the problematic ones. You can call our office to ask more about the Alcat food intolerance test or visit online at www.alcat.com.