A reaction is caused by the intake of certain food items in an individual’s body, in the case of food allergies and food intolerance. Many people don’t understand the difference, and they often get confused between the two. There is a great difference between food intolerance and food allergy. Read on to analyze and understand both the terms and where the difference lies.
Food Intolerance
Food tolerance can be caused by a response of the digestive system to a particular food item or a specific ingredient that irritates the digestive system. Due to this irritation, an individual is unable to digest and break down the food properly. Common food intolerance includes dairy and gluten intolerance. A person with specific food intolerance may show the following symptoms:
- Pain in the stomach
- Outbreaks of wind
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Vomiting
- Indigestion
- Diarrhea
- Sudden irritability
- Weight gain
The cause of food intolerance is the inability to digest particular food types. It can be caused by lack of the amount of chemicals or enzymes that a body requires to digest the food in the best manner. Food poison is another common cause of food intolerance.
Food Allergy
Food allergy, in comparison to food intolerance, can have a severe reaction on an individual’s body. It causes the reaction in immunity system in person, which in turn, affects the other organs of the body. In certain cases, food allergy can be life-threatening. The symptoms of food allergy include the ones listed for food intolerance and include the following as well:
- Difficulty in breathing
- Hives
- Rashes
- Irritated skin
- Chest pain
- Anaphylaxis
Heredity and environmental factors can cause the reaction of food allergy in a person’s body. Common types of food allergies are tree nuts, milk, fish, peanut, egg, wheat etc.
Difference between Food Allergy & Food Intolerance
- A person with a food allergy can have small amounts, without having the reaction, of that particular food item that causes allergy. However, even the smallest portion of a certain food product will cause the reaction in the body of a person with food allergy.
- The reaction is far more severe (can be life threatening in certain cases) with food allergy whereas food intolerance has mild reactions.
- Food intolerance only affects the digestive system of an individual’s body. However, the reaction is not limited to a digestive system with food allergy. It causes the reaction in immunity system, which in turn disturbs the whole body.
To sum it up, a person needs to undergo some tests to determine whether they are having food intolerance or food allergy. The treatment of both of these variants differs from each other. Food allergy may not be cured fully whereas the reaction caused by food intolerance can be minimized by reducing the amount of that particular food item.
DISCLAIMER: The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.