Annoying Foods: food allergies and food intolerances

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

After a weekend of what appeared to be food poisoning and a case of food allergies, my stomach has not been happy with me.  This brought me to address the question: What is the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance?  I could go into stories of my own experiences with Oral Allergy Syndrome and food poisoning, but I’ll spare you the details.  Instead, here is some useful information about food allergies and food intolerances. 

Food allergies:

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a food allergy occurs when there is the presence of IgE, an antibody that releases chemicals into the bloodstream to protect against the invading allergen.  According to NIAID, food allergies exist in roughly 4% of the adult population and 6-8% of children under the age of 4. 

The eight common food allergies that account for 90% of all food allergies are: eggs, shellfish (i.e. shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab), peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts), wheat, soy, milk, and fish.  Seafood allergies are the most common in adults, however peanut and tree nut allergies are the leading cause of fatalities associated with food allergies. Of course, there are some very unusual food allergies that exist as well.  Symptoms range from itchy throats to hives, abdominal cramps, and anaphylactic shock.  The good news is that the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 required allergy labels on foods manufactured after January 2006.  However, there are concerns as to the accuracy of labels, as some information is still voluntary.  The best advice is to call food manufacturers in order to avoid accidental contamination with an allergen.

Food intolerance:

Food intolerance, which is more common than food allergies, is the sensitivity to certain foods not caused by allergens.  Typically a person is missing an enzyme that is needed to break down a substance found in food.  Examples include food poisoning, histamine toxicity, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance (celiac disease), food additives (i.e. MSG or sulfites), and even psychologically caused food intolerances.   Lactose intolerance is the most common of all of these. 

The main difference between the two is that food intolerance causes a digestive system response to food, while food allergens cause an immune system response to foods.  The Food Allergy Initiative provides some useful advice (including eating out tips) for dealing with food allergies and food intolerance.  Specialgourmets offers an international guide to gluten-free, dairy-free, and other food allergen-free restaurants and hotels in addition to recipes.

–Aisha Salazar

Tags: Aisha Salazar, annoying foods, food, food allergy, food intolerance, Gut Check, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases