Just what is the difference between an intolerance and an allergy? YorkTest’s scientific director Dr Gill Hart explains
Just what is the difference between an intolerance and an allergy ? YorkTest’s scientific director Dr Gill Hart explainsDo you suffer from fatigue, headaches, migraine and skin problems, bloating, stomach pain, depression, nausea, diarrhoea, IBS, joint pains or eczema?
You could be one of the 45 per cent of the population suffering from a food intolerance. Doctors rarely explore the link between food intolerances and chronic conditions such as these with their patients, yet there is now clear evidence that relief (total or partial) can be achieved by a change in diet . Tests for allergies are sometimes carried out, but food intolerance, which is less easy to diagnose, is frequently overlooked.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
So what are food intolerances and how do they differ from allergies?
There is a lot of confusion about the terms ‘food intolerance’ and ‘food allergy’, and the differences between them. Many people speak about food allergy when their symptoms can sometimes indicate food intolerance instead. Food allergies differ from intolerances in the speed and severity of your body’s immune system reaction to a foodstuff – in an allergic reaction your immune system is mistaking a food for an ‘invader’ which results in a rapid response, often within minutes of eating the culprit. This kind of response is typical of nut and seafood allergies. Symptoms caused by this reaction can range from rashes, to diarrhoea and vomiting. In severe cases symptoms such as swelling of the lips, tongue or face, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness can occur; which are potentially life threatening. Although true food allergy can be hugely significant for those who suffer it is actually quite rare with approximately two per cent of the population diagnosed.
In contrast the effects of food sensitivity and intolerance are more subtle and less well understood. Food sensitivity can take on many forms. These include:
COELIAC DISEASE One per cent of people in the UK have a specific immune reaction to gluten (found in wheat, barley and rye).This means that eating gluten damages the lining of the small intestine and affects other parts of the body as well.
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE: The inability to break down milk sugar (lactose). It usually runs in families and can result in severe gut reactions, as can a deficiency in the enzyme needed to break down alcohol.
CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES: These include reactions to food additives and other chemicals such as histamine, caffeine, sulphites and tyramine. Food intolerance is, significantly, a delayed response to foodstuffs, and so symptoms may take as long as three days to appear after eating a trigger food.
Once diagnosed and given a management plan people often realise that they have been having low grade symptoms most of their lives resulting in a feeling of general unwellness. Often these symptoms are not enough to make them seek medical help but are enough to stop them living life to its full. Recognising that food is a trigger for a particular set of symptoms is not easy when, unlike food allergies where the symptoms are usually almost immediate, food intolerance symptoms appear hours, and often up to two or three days later. For these sufferers there is often no clear diagnosis and it is usual that the symptoms that get treated rather than the cause.
IDENTIFYING YOUR INTOLERANCES
Currently the best accepted way to confirm food intolerances is by following an elimination diet. This involves eating a restricted diet for several weeks, cutting out one potential trigger food after another. This method is obviously very time consuming, and because it’s impossible to test all the different combinations of food types that may be causing the problems, it is a very ineffective process. Everyone is unique with a different internal make-up, even to others with similar conditions, and so the foods – and importantly the combinations of foods – that are the cause of symptoms will be equally unique.
One approach available is a blood test that measures food-specific antibodies. These are substances produced naturally by the body to identify and neutralise foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. Antibodies to foods are found in the body when the immune system has identified a particular food type as being foreign. Measurement of antibodies to foods in blood shows that the body is ‘fighting’ that particular food. It has been shown that by removing the food from the diet that the body is reacting to can reduce the unpleasant symptoms.
The fact that you may see a return of any illness on reintroduction of the foods identified by the food-specific test supports the evidence that this is an active and specific approach. Many patients with chronic conditions would rather have a dietary solution to their problem than have to take unnecessary medication.
The Food Detective test is another great way to pinpoint your body’s food intolerances. For details go to camnutri.com
EAT UP
Think you’ve got a food intolerance? Try switching your normal diet to these tasty ‘free-from’ treats:
9Bars, 68p , are packed full of delicous seeds and are free from wheat, gluten, dairy, lactose, egg, yeast, artificial additives, preservatives, colours and transfats. Nature’s Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise, £2.69 , is made with delicious organic cereals, quinoa nuts and seeds and flavoured with maple. Delamere Dairy Soya Milk, £1.28 , is made with non-GM, organically certified soya beans and can replace milk in most recipes.
MORE INFO
The well established YorkTest Food Scan is a simple ‘home to laboratory’ service that tests against 113 different foods. It also includes two telephone consultations with a qualified nutritionist and a 12 week food diary with diet tips to help you keep track of the changes you are making to your diet.The first step test is currently available at the special price of £9.99. Following the First Step, if your result is positive you can then progress to the comprehensive laboratory analysis and nutritional support for £245. For more information call 0800 074 6185 or visit yorktest.com
Article by
Dr Gill Hart
York Test's scientific director
Article by
Dr Gill Hart
York Test's scientific director
By Dr Gill Hart
