In this blog post, you will learn what a food intolerance actually is, what symptoms it brings with it and how it can be diagnosed. Do you know the difference between intolerance and allergy? No, then read this post to the end and we will explain it to you. Enjoy reading!
A food intolerance - food intolerance - is manifested by the fact that physical complaints regularly occur after eating certain foods. The symptoms occur because the body lacks the tools to process these substances properly. Affected people can get tested if they suspect that they have a food intolerance.
A wide variety of food components and ingredients - whether natural or artificial - can cause an intolerance reaction. However, certain substances are particularly often responsible for intolerances. These include lactose, gluten, fructose, histamine and glutamate .
Meaning
A person suffers from food intolerances when specific foods or their ingredients cause symptoms that should normally be digested without problems. There are various mechanisms involved. Generally, food intolerance occurs when the body cannot digest and absorb a food ingredient properly. Instead, it is broken down into waste products that cause symptoms. The reason for this is usually an enzyme deficiency or defect. This is in contrast to food allergies. Here, the body's own immune system reacts oversensitively to the actually harmless ingredients of certain foods. Some ingredients do not trigger allergies, but so-called pseudo-allergies. The difference is that the substances activate the immune system in a different way, but the symptoms are very similar or even the same.
symptom
A food intolerance usually causes typical digestive problems after eating a food in question. In the long term, it can also lead to weight loss or nutritional deficiencies. In addition to general digestive problems, there are also symptoms of a food intolerance that go beyond the gastrointestinal tract. How exactly a food intolerance manifests itself varies from person to person. Typical symptoms are:
- loss of appetite
- burping
- stomach pain
- flatulence
- Diarrhea
- weight loss
- constipation
- nausea & vomiting
diagnosis
Nowadays, food intolerances receive significantly more attention than they did a few decades ago. However, this also leads to an overestimation of their frequency. Suitable tests can be carried out to determine whether the cause of repeated digestive problems is actually a food intolerance. This is the only way to make a reliable diagnosis. Examples of tests are the H2 breath test or the lactose tolerance test to test for lactose intolerance. If the suspicion is confirmed, patients must adjust their diet so that the triggering substances are no longer consumed.
Difference between allergy and intolerance
You've probably asked yourself what the difference is between an allergy and an intolerance - we'll explain it to you here:
There is an important difference! When there is a food intolerance, the immune system is not active. These intolerances usually arise because the body lacks certain enzymes or transport molecules that are needed to break down or absorb certain food components. These components usually include lactose, fructose or histamines.
An allergy, on the other hand, is an overreaction of the immune system to a non-dangerous foreign substance, such as nuts or pollen.
