The consequences of intolerance are difficult-to-treat diseases; skin and digestive system diseases, neurological disorders and even more serious ones… People have been receiving treatment for years without knowing it, but they don’t know that the root of all their problems lies in food.
I am allergic to dairy products (soy, eggs, chocolate) – we hear this a lot. Today, about 30% of the world’s population has an allergy problem, and most of these allergies are caused by allergens. However, very few people are aware of the existence of a concept called “food intolerance”. The symptoms are similar but their development processes are different.
It is important to correctly diagnose and distinguish food allergies and food intolerances because the treatment and prevention of these two are very different. Although it seems simple, it is actually very difficult to do because they are both related to nutrition. In addition, any food can trigger these reactions and the symptoms are often the same.
Food allergies are a serious intolerance to some “ingredients” found in our daily diet. You may be surprised, but about 90% of the population is somehow infected with this virus, but very few are aware of it. The consequences of intolerance are diseases that are difficult to treat; skin and digestive system diseases, neurological disorders and even more serious ones… People have been receiving treatment for years without knowing it, but they don’t know that the root of all their problems lies in food.
- Please tell us more about your symptoms.
The symptoms of food allergy vary, but there is no single symptom specific to food allergy. Doctors distinguish between allergic reactions that occur after exposure to food allergens and skin reactions. Symptoms include dermatitis, itching, numbness and/or a “popping” sensation on the tongue, and swelling of the oral mucosa. The most serious consequence of food allergy is anaphylactic shock. This is the most serious type of poisoning that can occur seconds after eating and can be very serious or even fatal.
Symptoms include hypotension, urticaria, Quincke’s edema, vomiting, colic, constipation, diarrhea, allergic enterocolitis, and allergic rhinitis. Skin manifestations of food allergies are more common in adults and children. In children under one year old, the first symptoms of food allergy can be rash, dermatitis and itching, despite careful skin care. The most common skin manifestations of true food allergies are urticaria and atopic dermatitis.
- Why are food allergies so dangerous if they do not cause angioedema or asthma?
You see, if you continue to eat foods that your body cannot digest, inflammatory processes occur. Over time, it becomes chronic and people start to experience conditions such as arthritis, migraine, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and fatigue, depression and acne, constipation and ADHD. The kidneys gradually weaken and it becomes impossible to remove excess fluid from the body. This leads to obesity and weight gain. The body then begins to digest new, more complex and unhealthy foods, including foods that were previously considered normal. Therefore, people get sick no matter what they eat. Therefore, by eliminating “unwanted” foods from your diet, you can gradually lose weight without harming your health.
- The symptoms are the same, but why are the mechanisms different?
When we hear the word allergy, we think the immune system is involved. Food allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly starts to attack proteins found in foods. For example, the cells of the immune system “confuse” an orange with bacteria and start producing antibodies to fight it. The next time an orange enters the human body, antibodies will immediately detect it and stimulate the immune system to respond. The difference from food allergies is that food allergies occur suddenly and can occur even when the allergen is present in very small amounts in the food.
The situation is more complicated with food intolerance. In food intolerance, the immune system works normally, while the digestive process is disrupted. Most often, this is due to gastrointestinal, neuroendocrine and other diseases. Sometimes, eating certain foods can make an existing condition worse.
For example, milk intolerance is caused by a deficiency of the lactase enzyme needed to break down lactose. This can cause stomach pain and diarrhea.
- Which foods can cause allergies and which foods can cause intolerances? Is there any difference between them? Almost any product can cause allergies or food intolerances. However, while some foods have a very clear allergenic potential, others are less likely to cause allergies. Allergens are substances containing animal and plant proteins. The most common food substances include wheat, rye, oats, corn, milk, fish and shellfish, eggs, meats of various animals and birds, legumes, nuts, vegetables, tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, dyes and preservatives, yeast, citrus fruits, alcohol.
- So how do we know what we can and cannot eat? There are many tests available to diagnose allergies, from simple skin tests to blood tests that determine antibody levels and various foods. However, the results of these tests are not always complete due to false and false-negative results. Unfortunately, food products need to be developed individually by trial and error. It is necessary to observe children from childhood and detect and eliminate unwanted substances. Meanwhile, with signs of hyperactivity or tolerance, it is sometimes enough to remove products containing artificial colors or food additives from the child’s food.
