You may probably have heard of lactose intolerance, a sensitivity to lactose in milk and other dairy products that affects as many as 75 per cent of adults around the world.
But lactose intolerance is just one of the many types of food intolerance.
Food intolerance occurs when your digestive system is irritated by something in the food you consume or when you are unable to properly digest or break it down.
A person’s sensitivity to certain types of food can have a wide ranging effect on one’s health that may include memory problems, mood swings, migraines, weight problems, narcolepsy, eczema, acne, aching legs, breathing difficulties, restlessness, ear aches and heartburn.
Is it food allergy? Food intolerance is not to be confused with food allergy, which can be triggered by even a small amount of the offending food.
Food allergy creates an instant and obvious response, while reactions from food sensitivity or food intolerance are usually delayed or hidden, with the symptoms not as recognisable.
Those with food allergies generally need to avoid the culprit food.
Food intolerance on the other hand is usually related to regular consumption and sufferers may not show symptoms unless they consume a large portion of the foods or eat them frequently.
For example, a person who is lactose intolerant may be able to take milk with coffee or a single glass of milk, but reacts if he or she downs several glasses of milk at once.
It is also not the same as food poisoning, which normally happens when one consumes spoiled or tainted food and always affects others eating the same thing.
What can cause food intolerance? Our fast-paced convenient lifestyles often mean that we eat the same type of food groups repeatedly.
We also always eat with such speed that our stomachs do not have the time to properly digest food. At the same time, some people lack the necessary enzymes to break foods down.
Some show signs following consumption of food that have chemicals produced naturally such as caffeine, salicylates and histamine in foods like chocolate and cheese.
Additives that give food longer shelf life can also cause food intolerance. Any type of food can be a culprit as it varies from one person to the next.
It is also normal to be intolerant to several different foods at the same time.
Diagnosis It is not easy to diagnose as the signs are often unclear.
Usually, sufferers complain of feeling fatigued and bloated, symptoms that often appear with problems concerning the bowel, skin, joints or headaches.
They may have one or many of the following symptoms:
• Nausea • Stomach pain • Headaches • Irritability or nervousness • Gas or bloating • Cramps • Vomiting • Heartburn • Diarrhoea
Common ailments According to the book, Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat, by Rudy Rivera, and Roger Davis Deutsch, food intolerance can take its toll on a person’s long-term well-being.
These include weight problems, skin conditions, fatigue, breathing difficulties and migraine.
Fatigue People normally experience fatigue after they have spent a great deal of energy.
If the tiredness is not brought on by any kind of exertions, is unrelieved by rest and is frequently worse in the morning, many health practitioners believe it is probably associated in some way with food and or chemical sensitivities.
Evidence suggests food intolerance as a cause of fatigue and even may be an early indicator of it.
Skin conditions Many suffer from skin conditions such as eczema, urticaria, angioedema and severe acne but in many cases, these skin conditions can be prevented through elimination of reactive foods. Weight issues Many overweight individuals are likely to suffer from food sensitivities as the very nature of being overweight suggests a negative response to food.
Food intolerance may result not only in overeating, but also in malnutrition, by interfering with the metabolism of fat for energy.
By eliminating reactive foods, they may be able to resume a normal weight loss programme related to calorie intake and exercise.
Breathing problems Doctors generally believe that airway problems such as asthma, hay fever and sinusitis are caused exclusively by inhalant allergies.
However, allergic airway diseases may also be due to food intolerance.
A theory suggests that in a person with food intolerance, the food allergen combined with an airborne allergy puts additional stress on the body and it collapses under the pressure.
Migraines Many turn to drug treatments for fast relief of migraines although some have discovered eliminating or reducing it through treatment of food intolerance.
It is however not clear how by removing food and chemical intolerances, migraines can be alleviated.
Identifying food intolerances If you suspect that you might be suffering from food sensitivity, talk to your healthcare provider.
They should be able to establish a plan to help control symptoms.
To identify the offending foods, the process may involve one of the following methods: Keeping a food diary: A sufferer goes through a trial and error period to determine which food or foods cause reactions.
Sufferers may be asked to keep a record of the food consumed on a daily basis and note down when symptoms appear.
Common factors are then singled out.
The Elimination Diet: This involves completely eliminating any suspect foods from the diet until one is symptom-free.
Then one begins to reintroduce the foods, one at a time, until one pins down the problem items.
The Alcat Test: This is one of the easier and most reliable methods, as it is done via a simple blood test, to identify food sensitivities as well as sensitivities to mould and common chemicals.
It can pinpoint trigger foods which are usually easily found foods such as oranges, wheat, seafood, nuts, celery, milk or eggs, amongst others.
The Alcat Test measures the final common pathway of all pathogenic mechanism, whether immune, non-immune or toxic.
It is also the only test that correlates with clinical symptoms by double blind food challenges.
Treatment and prevention Treatment for food intolerance is based on avoiding or reducing your intake of problem foods and treating symptoms when they arise.
Once you have identified the food that you are intolerant to, be vigilant about the food you consume and try to keep family, friends and associates informed about your sensitivities.
Prevention is always better than cure.
If you face certain persistent ailments despite maintaining a well-balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, think about the possibility that you may be suffering from food sensitivities.
Talk to your healthcare professional.
