What’s the Difference between Food Allergy, Intolerance and Sensitivity?

Aren’t they all the same?

Yes and no.

All these can cause reactions to the body at some degree such as digestive discomfort. But what causes it and how it impacts the body are different. These terms get used interchangeably by many people, even healthcare practitioners. Knowing their distinct definitions and characteristics will help identify what caused the symptoms and what ways can be done to resolve them. 

Any of these food reactions can happen to anyone of all ages. This is primarily due to the weakened structure of the intestinal lining called “leaky gut.” With the gut having spaces, it allows unwanted particles like food, bacteria, parasites, viruses to enter the blood stream, triggering inflammation and a whole lot of symptoms.

Food Allergy

According to Food Allergy Research and Education, an estimated number of 32 million Americans have food allergies, including 5.6 million children under age 18. About 40% of children who have food allergies react to more than one food.

In the Philippines, there is a high prevalence of common allergies, making it one of the top among the Asian countries. In fact, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo even signed and declared July 8 to be a “National Allergy Day” to raise the awareness of common allergy problem in the country.

Food allergy is an immediate immune reaction in which the body produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) when it detects an ingested allergen. Your body mistakes a certain food to be harmful so your body fights against it. This occurs immediately or within a few minutes after consumption.

Common food allergens include:

·       Dairy

·       Eggs

·       Peanut

·       Wheat

·       Soy

·       Fish

·       Shellfish

Anyone who has food allergies are usually advised to avoid the trigger since even a tiny amount can lead to severe reactions.

What are the symptoms of food allergy?

Severity of symptoms may vary between individuals. Anyone with food allergies may experience:

·       Itching

·       Hives

·       Cramping

·       Vomiting

·       Shortness of breath

·       Swelling of the throat

·       Difficulty breathing

Food Intolerance

In contrast with food sensitivity and allergies, food intolerance does not involve the immune system. Instead, it is due to the lack of enzymes breaking down certain food resulting to gut discomfort such as gas and bloating, cramping, diarrhea, constipation and nausea. A very common example is a person being lactose intolerant wherein they do not have enough enzymes called lactase (sugar in milk).

Aside from lactose, some people may not tolerate:

·       MSG

·       Natural sugars

·       Caffeine

·       Artificial colorings

What are the symptoms of food intolerances?

Anyone with food intolerance may experience:

·       Bloating

·       Diarrhea

·       Gas

·       Nausea and vomiting

·       Abdominal pain

There are some food groups that may lead to symptoms beyond the gut.

An example is gluten and caffeine. If you are intolerant to gluten, you may experience headache, fatigue, joint pain and rashes. Intolerance to caffeine may lead to anxiety, insomnia, jitters and feeling nervous and restless.

Food Sensitivity

Food sensitivity is more likely the most unfamiliar among the three. More and more people are becoming sensitive with food. About 20% of the global population has some sort of sensitivity to food like gluten, dairy and soy. Similar to food allergies, this also involves the immune system but produces immunoglobulin G, or IgG. This takes a while to take effect, so anyone who eats a food they are sensitive with may not experience any symptoms immediately but until a few days later. 

Food sensitivities are dose-dependent. This means that for anyone who ingests more of the food that they are sensitive with, symptoms may be worse than if they ingest only a small portion. Anyone can reduce their level of sensitivity to a food group by temporarily avoiding it for a time period and sealing their gut. This can be identified by taking the Food Sensitivity Test and doing an Elimination Diet.

What are the symptoms of food sensitivities?

Because IgG can be found all over the body, symptoms may appear anywhere. Some examples are:

·       Fever

·       Bloating

·       Nausea

·       Rashes

·       Joint pain

·       Brain fog

·       Fatigue

What do you do if you have any of these three?

If you have food allergies, there are tests for this. But if you have a diagnosed or suspected allergy, is it best to totally avoid that food completely.

To rule out a food sensitivity or intolerance, often recommended is by doing an Elimination Diet. What happens is you will eliminate certain food and food groups for a few weeks and then slowly reintroduce them and test and see how your body reacts. You can also take the Food Sensitivity Test, where it can show you 200 foods that might cause you the immune response and symptoms. While the test can give you some information, doing the elimination diet as the gold standard is still the best way to figure out your sensitivities.

Here’s a quick summary to differentiate the three.