Food Intolerance Causes, Types, and Symptoms

Sudden Food Intolerance in Adults

      People who have food intolerances have trouble digesting certain foods. It's worth noting that a food intolerance is different from a food allergy. Food intolerances are common.

According to some estimates, they may impact 15-20% of the population.

Food intolerances are more common in those with digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

According to the IBS Network, most people with IBS have a food intolerance. While a food allergy is the result of a reaction by the immune system to a particular food, a food intolerance usually involves the digestive system, not the immune system.. (medicalnewstoday.com)

Food Intolerance Definition

A food intolerance means that your digestive system has trouble digesting (breaking down) food. Food intolerance is also known as food sensitivity.

A food intolerance occurs when your gut is sensitive to a certain food and cannot tolerate it.

When you eat these foods, you may experience uncomfortable signs and symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea and stomach pain.

What are The Three Most Common Food Intolerances?

Typical food sensitivities include:

Lactose

People who are lactose intolerant do not make enough of the enzyme lactase to break down lactose, (the sugar found in milk and milk products). These food intolerances are the most common.

Lactose intolerance is an example of an enzyme deficiency, which occurs when a person is born, or develops with insufficient lactase enzyme to digest lactose in cow's milk and other dairy products.

This can cause gas/flatulence, upset stomach and diarrhea, after consuming dairy products.

This condition causes physical discomfort, but is harmless, and does not cause rashes or anaphylaxis. The way of diagnosis is by temporary removal of lactose and reintroduction.

Gluten

Gluten is a protein in barley, oats and rye. Gluten sensitivity is not the same thing as celiac disease, an autoimmune disease. When you have celiac disease, gluten harms the small intestine. If you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, your body will have a harder time digesting gluten.

Gluten is the name given to the protein that is found in rye, wheat, barley and triticale.

Many conditions are associated with gluten, including celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergies.

Celiac disease involves an immune response, which is why the disease is classified as an autoimmune disease.

When individuals with celiac disease are exposed to gluten, the immune system attacks the small intestine, which can cause serious damage to the digestive system.

Wheat allergy is often confused with celiac disease, due to similar signs and symptoms.

They differ in that a wheat allergy produces allergy-producing antibodies to the proteins in wheat, while celiac disease is triggered by an abnormal immune reaction to gluten in particular.

However, many people experience unpleasant symptoms, even when they test negative for celiac disease or wheat allergies.

This is called non-celiac gluten sensitivity, a milder form of gluten intolerance, which is thought to affect 0.5 to 13% of the population.

Histamine

Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical in foods such as bananas, cheese, pineapples, avocados and chocolate. Red grapes and some white wines also contain histamine.

Individuals who are intolerant to histamine do not make enough of the enzyme diamine oxidase to break down these chemicals.

Histamine is a chemical substance in the body that acts on the digestive, immune and nervous systems.

It helps prevent infection by developing a direct inflammatory response to the allergen. This triggers itching, sneezing, and watery eyes that could potentially repel dangerous intruders.

In persons without intolerance, histamine is readily metabolized and excreted.

However, many people are not able to break down histamine properly, so it builds up in the body.

The most common reason for histamine intolerance is a malfunction of the enzymes responsible for histamine breakdown - diamine oxidase and N-methyltransferase.

Food Intolerance Symptoms

- Migraines - Bloating - Colds - Coughs - Headaches - Stomachaches - Itching

Despite all these, irritable bowel syndrome is also one of the most common symptoms of food intolerance. In the opinion of medical experts, the presence of these symptoms should not be ignored, because it can lead them to serious physical disorders.

Contact a genuine and trusted pathologist, or a certified specialist for more information.

Food Intolerance Treatment at Home

There is no treatment for food intolerances, but signs and symptoms of discomfort can be avoided by removing the food that is causing the problem from you, or your child's diet.

This requires careful preparation of food, careful reading of labels, and persistence in asking how food is prepared when eating out.

Some of the discomfort symptoms can be treated if you, or your child, eat problem foods.

Antacids, for example, can be taken by mouth for heartburn and acid reflux. Over-the-counter preparations of the lactase enzyme may relieve discomfort from swallowing dairy products for people with lactose intolerance.

Be sure to read the medication label, or consult a food intolerance doctor, for the proper dosage and frequency.

Management of Food Intolerance Involve Elimination Diets

Once the diagnosis is made, the clinical history can help determine the role of diet, or other aspects of worsening symptoms.

The only reliable method of determining if diet plays a role is with people on a temporary elimination diet, under the supervision of a medical practitioner.

If removing foods from the diet helps, this is followed by a challenge under controlled conditions to identify food triggers to avoid in the future.

Elimination diets should be temporary, so they should only be used for short probationary periods, under close medical supervision, as a diagnostic tool.

Prolonged restricted diets can cause problems with adequate nutrition, especially in children.

It is important to remember that a low-salicylate, low-amine diet should not be used for an investigation of food intolerance, until other potential causes are investigated.