Tag Archives: food intolerances

Food Allergies versus Food Intolerances / Sensitivities

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What is the difference between Food Allergies and Food Intolerances / Sensitivities?

An allergy is a specific biological response that is mediated by the immune system producing IgE antibodies. The symptoms of allergies include itching, hives, and rashes, swelling and gastrointestinal upset which are caused due to a mass release of histamine by mast cells. The symptoms usually appear a short time after the food is consumed with a few minutes to about an hour.

Allergy skin testing such as the skin prick test can identify the more serious anaphylactic allergies that can cause difficulty swallowing, however various medications and the state of your immune function will affect the results. Blood testing for allergies can readily identify milder food and environmental allergies.

However, not all negative reactions to food are caused by allergies. In fact, most negative reactions are not caused by allergies but by food intolerances /sensitivities. Food intolerances and reactions usually cause a different type of antibody production called IgG. Reactions to food sensitivities and intolerances can be quite significant in terms of digestive upsets ranging from indigestion to constipation , diarrhea, bloating, significant fatigue or sluggishness, lack of concentration, sleeping issues, irritable bowel disorder and so on.

Food intolerance / sensitivity reactions typically develop within a few hours after food ingestion. Gluten sensitivity is one such example, where many people notice that they suffer from digestive issues such as cramping, bloating, flatulence and maybe diarrhea after eating gluten products such as wheat, but when tested for celiac disease, the results are usually negative. These people most likely suffer from a mild gluten intolerance or gluten allergy. Lactose intolerance is another widely known example of a food sensitivity versus a food allergy.

If you are suffering from allergies or sensitivities, or are not sure, talk to your naturopathic doctor about getting tested either.

Need more information on food allergies or food intolerances / sensitivity, please click here

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

What Is The Difference Between Food Intolerances And Allergies?

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Food allergies are those that are quite often immune mediated – meaning that they could be life threatening quite often if they are anaphylactic. Food intolerance / sensitivities usually produce a milder reaction such as fatigue, or loose stools, flatulence, skin rashes, congestion among other symptoms. Mild allergies may produce similar reactions too.

With food allergies, the body’s immune system produces a class of antibodies called the IgE immunoglobulins, where as with food sensitivities or intolerance, the immune system produces a class of antibodies called IgG immunoglobulins, both of which are accurately tested using blood. Severe food allergies such as those that can cause anaphylactic reactions and can be tested using scratch tests, however, these tests quite often produce false positive results due to other factors that the individual might be undergoing such as stress, prescriptions they might be using, among others, and this can be quite traumatic for a person who shows positive to everything under the sun!

Both of these reactions are immune mediated so in order to treat them or get relief, most people use antihistamines and other allergy relief medication. However, to get true relief, you must look at what caused the immune system to cause a hypersensitive reaction / or dysfunction in the first place and treating the root cause will quite often treat the mild allergies and intolerances, but not severe anaphylactic allergies.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.