What is the difference between food intorlence and food alergy?

Question

How can you tell which one you have, is there an easy way to tell the difference

Answer 1

Food intolerances cause symptoms mainly in the stomach (upset stomach, bloating, diarhea, cramps, etc). And the symptoms disappear once you stop eating that food.
allergies to food can cause much more serious symptoms but usually start out with milder ones such as rashes, itching, redness of skin or around the mouth. But food allergies can become serious because your body attempts to "fight" the allergen (or what you eat that you are allergic to). Eventually, the allergy could cause respiratory problems (your throat closes, you wheeze or become unable to breathe) So always have a doctor check you out if you suspect you have a food allergy.

Answer 2

Frequently the terms intolerance or allergy are applied to a milk/lactose intolerance/allergy. The difference is:

lactose intolerance occurs when your body lacks the digestive enzymes to break down lactose (the sugar in milk).

milk allergy occurs when your body produces antibodies in response to an exposure to milk proteins. The antibodies will produce a systemic reaction. A systemic reaction can be anything from nasal congestion, headache, flushing of the skin, and dermatitis, to hives, asthma, swelling of the face, and ultimately, in extreme reactions, difficulty breathing, to complete airway obstruction.

Intolerance to a food will cause digestive symptoms only- bloating, cramps, diarrhea, etc.

Allergies to foods can cause digestive symptoms as well, just like an intolerance, but these digestive symptoms occur along side a systemic reaction. Depending on the severity of the reaction, you may not even notice it. The danger with an allergy is that you risk it becoming worse with each exposure. You are never allergic to something the first time you encounter it- an allergy will only manifest after your body has had a chance to develop antibodies to something it has already encountered.

On that note, there are 2 different kinds of allergic reactions- IGG and IGE responses...many food allergies are IGG and not life threatening. But IGE allergies are severe and can be fatal. That's why one person can have a food allergy and still eat the food and suffer the consequences of upset stomach and nasal congestion (an IGG reaction) and another person can be in a room with a peanut butter sandwich and die (an IGE reaction). Fortunately, they have self administered epinephrine pens now to help protect those people in the event of an exposure.

The only way to be sure if it is truly an allergy is to be tested. Allergy testing can be done by a scratch test (it's actually a series of small needles where they inject an potential allergen under your skin and look for a histamine reaction) or a blood test called a RAST, where they examine your blood for antibodies to certain allergens. Scratch tests are more reliable, but blood tests are easier (one big needle, not 50 small ones). I do not know if there is a definitive test for a food intolerance. If you want to be tested see an allergist- a medical doctor who specializes in allergies. Do not waste your hard earned money on an alternative medicine diagnosis. Allergies cannot be detected by someone feeling your pulse while they hold a food near you. The bottom line is: are there antibodies in your blood, or is there a clear histamine response when you are "scratched" with a potential allergen.

Answer 3

Food intolerance is when your body can't handle something and you get sick. For example I am lactose intolerant and if I drink milk I get to visit the toilet in a few minutes. ALlergies are when your body reacts either mildly with rashes, itchiness, etc. or violently with sudden swelling. Allergies can be deadly, where as intolernce is just uncomfortable.