Allergist-immunologist named foods that cause hidden intolerance

There is not only allergy to certain foods, but also food intolerance. Although these two conditions may show similar symptoms, they have different mechanisms and effects on the body.

What we’ll tell you about

Food intolerance and allergy – what is the difference?

Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, doctor, allergist-immunologist

“Undesirable reactions to food develop to an individual list of products and by completely different mechanisms.”

If we talk about food allergy, it is an immune-dependent reaction in response to the ingestion of a food antigen, or informational part of a protein molecule, to which the body reacts with inflammation. Simply put, the immune system mistakenly identifies these proteins as a threat and begins to produce antibodies and chemicals that cause an allergic reaction.

Food allergies can be indicated by symptoms such as hives, laryngeal swelling, difficulty breathing and even life-threatening anaphylactic shock. The reaction usually occurs within minutes or even immediately after consuming the food.

As for food intolerance, it usually excludes a direct link with the immune system and develops against the background of diseases, functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) or as a toxic reaction to a number of products.

It is most often caused by a lack of a certain enzyme necessary for proper digestion of a certain product. For example, lactose intolerance is associated with a deficiency of lactase, which is necessary to break down the milk sugar lactose.

Symptoms of food intolerance

Food intolerance is known to have a variety of symptoms. These can be both signs associated with a violation of the digestive tract, and symptoms that are far from GI problems.

Among the manifestations:

• nausea;
• heaviness after eating;
• flatulence;
• stool disorders such as constipation and diarrhea;
• headaches;
• joint pain;
• depression;
• urticaria;
• Quincke’s edema.

Ignore these signs can not be ignored, it is imperative to understand the mechanism of development of adverse reactions to food.

At the same time, isolated reactions to food are not so many. Quite often food reactions are combined with other problems, such as herpes or infection caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The latter is capable of causing peptic ulcer disease of the stomach, 12-rectum, chronic gastritis. That is why, if there are signs of intolerance or allergy to certain products, it is important not to delay the appointment with a specialized specialist.

Products that can cause food intolerance

The range of these products is strictly individual for everyone. For example, undesirable reactions can cause:

• milk and dairy products (cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream);
• Gluten-containing cereals (wheat, rye, barley);
• nuts and seeds (hazelnuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds);
• seafood (fish, shellfish, crustaceans);
• fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries and pineapple).

How do I diagnose a food intolerance?

If you have any reactions to food, you should see a doctor to diagnose the problem. This may include checking the GI tract through various procedures such as ultrasound, gastroscopy, and colonoscopy. There are also biochemical blood tests and evaluation of food allergies using component molecular allergy diagnostics.

One method is ALEX2, which evaluates the presence of specific class E antibodies to 300 items. However, its use may not be sufficient. For a complete assessment of the patient’s condition, it is also necessary to perform the Food Xplorer test, or FOX diagnostics, which analyzes reactions to the same positions but for a different type of antibody, IgG. This helps to determine treatment tactics and improve diagnostic strategy.

The results of such a test are easy to understand. The body’s reaction to 287 food items is determined using a color scale in the gradation of red – yellow – green.

The green level indicates a normal antibody content, yellow – an average increase in antibodies, which is already inflammation, followed by the exclusion of the product from the diet.

Finally, the red level, which usually indicates a high degree of inflammation in response to the consumption of the product.

Allergy tests are used to prescribe a personalized therapeutic diet. And the product is not eliminated for life, but only for the duration of treatment. The diet can be adjusted in the course of therapy.

How to treat food intolerance?

First, after diagnosis and determining the causes of complaints, it is recommended to treat the underlying disease: infection, gastrointestinal disease, systemic or allergic disease.

Secondly, it is necessary to follow a diet. Select a diet will help the doctor after a full examination.

Finally, a patient with food intolerance needs medical supervision and psychological support. This is also an important part of treatment.