What is the difference between Food allergy and Food intolerance?

Are food allergies and food intolerance the same thing? The short answer is “no”. So what is the difference between food allergy and intolerance? Food allergy and intolerance, both are the body’s reaction to certain types of food. When a person has a food allergy, it indicates that their immune system is reacting to certain foods. Besides, if a person has food intolerance then it indicates that their digestive system is reacting to some types of food. 

What is Food allergy? 

We all are well aware of the fact that the immune system is our body’s natural protection against foreign attackers such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungus. Food allergy occurs when your immune system draws attention to protein which you have consumed as an attacker. Then your immune system reacts through generating antibodies to fight against it. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the common allergic antibody that our immune system produces.  

Food allergies are generally considered to be more severe than food intolerance. A food allergic person cannot tolerate even a little amount of food they are allergic to. Consuming small amounts of food can cause a severe reaction in people.   

The allergic person may also experience allergic reactions even if the food is cooked or prepared in the environment that holds the allergen. As a matter of fact, the allergic reaction can turn into a life-threatening situation for the person, which may include anaphylactic shock. 

One may develop a food allergy at any stage in their life, it can be in the child phase as well as in the adult phase. For example, you may not have any allergic reaction to eggs in your entire life, but you may develop an allergy to eggs at a later point of time.   

The symptoms of food allergy usually begins after 2 hours of eating food, however it can also take 4 to 6 hours after consuming food. Here are the eight foods that can cause allergic reactions in some people: 

• Eggs 

• Milk

• Fish

• Shellfish

• Soybeans

• Wheat

• Peanuts

• Brazil nuts, hazel nuts, and walnuts

People who are allergic to these foods, may experience the undermentioned symptoms: 

• Itchy skin

• Hives

• Lightheadedness or dizziness

• Drastic drop in blood pressure 

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Swelling in face, lips and tongue

• Swelling in the throat and airways

• Difficulties in breathing

• Irregular pulse

• Fainting

These are all the general symptoms of food allergy. However, the severe reactions can be very fatal, this is why it is important that people who have encountered an allergic reaction before must avoid the above-mentioned eight foods. However unfortunately, an enormous amount of people are still unknown whether they have any food allergy or not. Besides, most people also do not even know which food is causing them the allergic reaction. This is why healthcare experts suggest going for the food allergy testing to understand if they have food allergy, and which food they are allergic to.    

What is Food intolerance? 

Food intolerance is also widely known as food sensitivity. While food allergy is a reaction from the body’s immune system, food sensitivity is a reaction from the digestive system. A person experiences symptoms of food intolerance when the digestive system fails to digest or breaks down certain types of food.   

Undoubtedly, food allergy is way more severe than food intolerance. Although food intolerance is not life-threatening, the symptoms can be very discomforting to the person. However, no matter which disorder is more severe, both conditions can be very harmful to health if left neglected or untreated.     

A person will experience symptoms only after consuming a certain food or food ingredient. Unlike the food allergy, in some cases people with a particular food intolerance can eat that food but in very less quantity. The symptoms of food intolerance also do not appear as fast as the symptoms of food allergy. 

People with food intolerance generally face issues while digesting certain food, such as:

• Milk or dairy products

• Gluten containing products 

• Processed meats

• Citrus fruits

• Cabbage 

• Beans

Food intolerance is more common than food allergies. There are many types and causes of food sensitivities. One of the prime reasons for intolerance is, lack of certain essential digestive enzymes. You may know your food intolerance through food intolerance test. Other reasons for food intolerance are: 

• Lack of certain digestive enzymes which break down food

• Certain food additives

• Sensitivity to lactose, fructose, histamines

• Food poisoning due to natural chemicals

The symptoms of food intolerance and food allergy are quite similar. However, the symptoms may vary from person to person. The symptoms of food intolerance may include:

• Nausea

• Abdominal pain

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Skin rash

• Itching

• Gas

• Reflex

• Bloating

• Diarrhea

Basically, symptoms of food intolerance are mainly related to the digestive system. The common type of food sensitivity are: 

• Lactose intolerance

• Fructose intolerance

• Gluten intolerance 

• Histamines intolerance  

• Salicylates intolerance 

• Food poisoning

A majority of people think that food allergy and intolerance are the same thing. But in reality, both conditions are completely different from one another. Food allergy is the reaction of the immune system, while food intolerance is the reaction of the digestive system. However, the symptoms of both conditions have a few similarities. Also, food allergy is more severe than food intolerance.