Food Allergies and Food Intolerances may have similar symptoms, but are very different conditions. Food intolerance means moreover the body cannot appropriately digest the food that is eaten or that a particular food might irritate the digestive system.
Symptoms of food intolerance can include nausea, cramps, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, irritability, nervousness or headaches.
A food allergy happens when the body’s immune system that normally fights with the infections sees the food as an aggressor, which will lead to the allergic reactions. A response from the immune system in which chemicals like histamine are released in the body.
The reaction can cause symptoms like breathing problems, throat tightness, coughing, hoarseness, abdominal pain, vomiting, swellings and hives.
Still if previous reactions have been mild, someone with a food allergy is always at risk of the next reaction being life-threatening. Eating a microscopic amount of the food, or sometimes even touching or inhaling it, could lead to anaphylaxis. So any person with a food allergy must keep away from the problem food entirely and always carry emergency injectable epinephrine.
Substantial reactions to certain foods are common, but most are caused by food intolerance rather than a food allergy. Food narrow mindedness can cause some of the similar cryptogram and symptoms as a food allergy, so people often confuse the two.
Food allergy can causes an immune system reaction that affects plentiful organs in the body. It can cause a variety of symptoms. In some cases, an allergic reaction to a food can be relentless or life threatening. In contrast, food intolerance symptoms are normally less serious and often inadequate to digestive problems.
If you have a food tolerance, you may be able to eat small amounts of the offending food without trouble. You may also be able to prevent a reaction.
Features of Food Allergy and Intolerance
The onset of symptoms is different.
- Food allergy symptoms appear soon after eating the food.
- Food intolerance symptoms appear later.
The amount of food consumed is different.
- If a person has a food allergy, they cannot tolerate even small amounts of the allergen, or food that they are allergic to them. If somebody with a peanut allergy is out in the open to even a tiny amount of peanut, they may have a severe reaction.
- Someone with food intolerance can eat a very small quantity of the food with no unfavourable reaction.
A person with a food allergy may also have a reaction even if the food was prepared in an environment which is contained with the allergens, or if they enter a place where the allergens are present. In a food allergy, a protein causes an allergic reaction, known as an immune response.
An allergen is a protein that causes a food allergy. Allergens themselves are not harmful substances but mostly people can be exposed to tem without any adverse effects. They are called as allergens because they affect some people by triggering a response in their immune system.
Food intolerance usually means that the person has an enzyme deficiency, so that their bodies cannot digest the food properly. Food intolerance may also be cause by convinced chemicals in food, by food poisoning due to the presence of toxins by the natural occasion of histamine in some foods by salicylates which are present in many foods and by food additives.
Symptoms of Food Allergy and Food Intolerance
Food Allergy and Food Intolerance have different symptoms.
An allergic reaction to food will often cause skin problems, such as hives, swelling or itchiness. If there are skin problems, there may also be respiratory symptoms. Gastrointestinal symptoms may include vomiting and diarrhea.
The main symptoms associated with food intolerance are intestinal gas, diarrhea or abdominal pain. Other symptoms may occur, but the core symptoms are related to the gut. A quantity of symptoms of food allergy and food intolerance is similar. This makes an accurate diagnosis more difficult.
Food Allergy
The Food Allergy Labelling and Consumer Protection act has meant that all packaged foods produced in the U. S must carry information in simple, clear language about the eight moat common allergens. A person with a known allergy should carry an injector, such as an EpiPen, which can administer epinephrine, or adrenaline in case of severe reaction.
Anaphylaxis can range in severity from mild life-threatening and it can happen quickly include skin reactions, swelling, difficulty breathing and a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Food Intolerance
Organization of food intolerance usually starts with an exclusion diet, in that diet the individuals should avoid the foods supposed of causing the problem for some time, usually between 2 and 6 weeks. The tolerant may keep a food chronicle to note whether symptoms get better. After this, food is reintroduced and reactions are noted. This can make known which food is causing the problem.
Common foods that cause Allergies and Intolerance
The Most Common Foods that cause Allergic reactions are as follows:
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Groundnuts
- Peanuts
- Milk
- Shellfish
- Nuts from trees, such as almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts and walnuts
The Most Common Foods that Causes Intolerance are:
- Cabbage
- Citrus fruit
- Beans
- Grains that contain gluten
- Processed meats
- Lactose
Treatment of Food Intolerance and Food Allergy
If a person has a food allergy or intolerance, they should avoid that food and carefully check ingredients of food products, whether for home consumption or when eating out. However, the treatment for a person who has consumes the items is different it is an allergy or an intolerance.