Food intolerance and allergy are sometimes mistaken since the symptoms of food intolerance can sometimes match those of an allergy.
Medical professionals have a hard time grasping the concept of food intolerance. It’s critical to get food allergies and intolerances properly diagnosed and confirmed by a physician.
Key Takeaways
- Allergy is a reaction by the immune system to a specific substance in food, while intolerance is difficulty digesting certain foods or food components.
- Allergic reactions can be severe and life-threatening, while intolerance reactions are less severe.
- Allergy is diagnosed through skin tests, blood tests, or food challenges, while intolerance is diagnosed through elimination diets or breath tests.
Allergy vs Food Intolerance
Food allergy is an immune system response to a specific food protein, where the immune system wrongly identifies the protein as a harmful substance. Food intolerance is a non-immune response to certain foods where the body is unable to digest a particular food component, such as lactose or gluten.
An allergy is a medical condition in which the immune system of the body reacts improperly to a foreign substance. These foreign substances are called allergens.
Insect, tick, and mould allergens can be present in household dust mites, pets, pollen, and food, as well as some drugs.
Food intolerance occurs when certain foods are difficult to digest and cause an unpleasant bodily reaction. It is more of a digestive system reaction than an immune system one.
Food poisoning happens when an individual’s digestive system is irritated or when the individual is unable to properly digest the food.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Allergy | Food Intolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Types of Reaction | Immunological | Immunological, pharmacological, gastrointestinal, metabolic, psychosomatic, toxic |
| Time of Reaction | A few seconds to 1 hour | 30 min – 48 hours |
| Prevention | Avoidance, breastfeeding, nutrient supplementation | Avoidance |
| Management | Avoidance, epinephrine, antihistamines, steroids | Avoidance, elimination diets |
| Diagnostic Test | Skin prick, blood test, food challenge | Hydrogen breath testing, elimination diets, food challenge |
What is Allergy?
Allergic reactions occur when your immune system mistakenly detects a foreign chemical as detrimental to your health. Allergens are the scientific term for these unwelcome invaders. Some examples of these allergens are specific foods, pollen, or pet dander.
Keeping you healthy is the task of your immune system. It does this by fending off potentially hazardous bacteria. To do so, the virus attacks anything it perceives as posing a threat to your health.
This reaction can include inflammation, sneezing, or a variety of other symptoms depending on the allergen.
Your immune system adapts to your surroundings. When your body comes into contact with something like pet dander, it should recognize that it is innocuous. Allergies to pet dander cause the immune system to fight the allergen as a foreign invader.
Allergic reactions to food might include swelling, hives, nausea, and exhaustion, amongst other things. It may take some time before someone realizes they have a food allergy.
See a doctor right away if you’ve had a severe response after eating and don’t know why. Either they can determine the root of your reaction, or they can recommend a professional to help.
What is Food Intolerance?
Food intolerance makes it difficult to digest certain foods. Food intolerances are rather frequent. They may impact as much as 15–20 percent of the population, according to certain estimates.
People with digestive system diseases like irritable bowel syndrome are more likely to develop food intolerances (IBS). The IBS network states that dietary intolerances are common among patients with IBS.
If you have an aversion to particular foods, you’ll feel unwell shortly after consuming those meals. The signs and symptoms might be numerous, but the digestive system is frequently involved.
The degree of symptoms varies from person to person with food intolerance based on the amount of food consumed.
The symptoms of food intolerances can take a long time to manifest. The symptoms may appear hours or days after consuming a portion of food and last for several hours or days.
Food intolerance and allergy symptoms sometimes overlap, making it difficult to tell which ailment someone is suffering from. In case the body is unable to digest a certain food, food intolerances will appear.
This condition can be brought on by a deficiency in digestive enzymes or a hypersensitivity to particular substances.
Main Differences Between Allergy and Food Intolerance
- There is a significant difference in the way your body reacts to food if you have either an allergy or intolerance to it.
- Eating anything to which you are intolerant can make you feel awful. A food allergy, on the other hand, could have deadly consequences for you.
- A person with food intolerance has difficulty digesting a given food’s ingredients because they lack certain enzymes, but a person with a food allergy does not have these same enzyme deficiencies.
- Food intolerance is a condition where a reaction occurs exclusively after consuming a specific food. Reactions to foods prepared in an allergen-containing environment or by someone else can occur when the person with a food allergy consumes those foods.
- Allergy is permanent, while intolerance may be temporary.
- https://europepmc.org/article/med/8154629
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11739-008-0183-6
Last Updated : 03 September, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The detailed presentations of food allergies and intolerances in this article are truly eye-opening. It’s important for people to be aware of these differences, especially in terms of managing their health.
This is a well-structured and comprehensive article, offering readers a deeper understanding of the differences between food allergies and intolerances. It serves as a valuable educational resource.
This article offers informative insights into food allergies and intolerances. The detailed explanations serve as a valuable resource for individuals looking to understand these conditions.
The article offers a wealth of knowledge and insights regarding food allergies and intolerances. It’s an excellent resource for individuals seeking detailed information on this subject.
The article presents an in-depth comparison between food allergies and intolerances. It’s evident that a great deal of research and expertise has contributed to this content.
Excellent article, it provides a clear and concise explanation of the difference between food allergies and intolerances. It’s important that medical professionals and the general public understand the distinction.
The article does a great job of explaining the medical differences between food intolerance and food allergies. However, I feel like it could have gone a step further in discussing social and psychological experiences of living with food allergies or intolerances.
This article presents the information about food intolerance and allergies in a very structured and organized manner. The comparison table provides a clear summary of the key differences between the two.