Allergy might kill you, but intolerance kills you slowly…

Itchy skin can be a sign of allergy or intolerance

How are allergy and intolerance different?

Allergy and intolerance are different, but they’re also very similar. Both are caused by an immune reaction, but the difference is in the timing. Allergy is immediate and intolerance is delayed, making it harder to pinpoint the offending food. Allergic reactions release histamine, which is why they show up on skin-prick tests, while intolerances don’t necessarily. But the cause is similar – a food protein (allergy) or a food chemical (intolerance) and so are the symptoms – a rash, stomach complaints, breathing difficulties etc. However, allergy can be life-threatening, so I’m sure we all agree it cannot be ignored. Intolerance, on the other hand, may lead to life-long illness, so maybe it’s about time we paid it some more attention!

Allergy mode of action

Allergy is your typical antibody style immune response – your body creates an antibody to an antigen, which can be anything in your blood that your body perceives as a threat. Our immune system remembers that specific threat with memory cells and if we encounter it again, our body acts fast to eliminate it, by producing many antibodies to attach to the antigen and remove it. And this is what causes your allergic response. The antibodies release heaps of histamine and other chemicals, causing redness, swelling, heat, inflammation and constriction, designed to kill the invader. What we see and feel is hay fever and asthma, dermatitis and skin rashes, vomiting and stomach cramps and anaphylaxis, and this can all happen within seconds or a couple of hours.

Food intolerance is often delayed and can be hard to pinpoint

Intolerances are delayed

Intolerances are different, but are still an immune response. Our bodies see these invaders, such as food chemicals, as they would a virus or bacteria that’s inside a cell, they attach to the cell and either engulf it or destroy it. It’s an abnormal physiological response to food chemicals, and can be caused by naturally-occurring compounds such as salicylates, amines, glutamates, gluten and milk protein, to name a few. Reactions are much slower than for allergies, usually taking six hours or more, and sometimes days, and the reaction depends on how much you eat. This is why food intolerances can cause chronic health complaints, such as constant respiratory infections, diarrhoea and migraines, because we don’t know what the cause is and keep eating it! You can read more about the different types of intolerance here.

The damage done

This chronic inflammatory state is not a happy place to be. Not only is it uncomfortable and debilitating, but it can lead to more serious complaints down the track, like auto-immune diseases, cancer and more.

Another difference is that allergies produce immunoglobulin E (IgE), a type of antibody, which is bound to white blood cells (specifically mast cells and basophils) and travel to the site of the reaction. Intolerances produce IgG, a much more prevalent class of immunoglobulin, which is present in our blood, lymph and intestines. It is designed to enhance destruction of damaged cells, toxins and viruses, but in some people, can be overactive. The issue may be with the food – such as contamination, toxicity or additives, or with the individual – gut disorders, psychological or nervous system reactions or it could simply be in your genes.

Eczema is a nasty skin condition that can be well managed with diet

And why is it getting worse?

There are many theories as to the increased prevalence of allergy (and intolerance) today, the most widely-accepted being that there are more environmental triggers, affecting the pregnant mother as well as the allergy-prone child. As each generation goes on, there is less and less exposure to childhood infections and weird and wonderful microbes, causing more sensitive immune systems. The reason this affects infants and young kids, and why many kids grow out of their allergies, is that the gut is highly permeable at this age and potential allergens leak out into our blood stream. As our gut matures, this occurs less and our allergies (and intolerances) may go away. So if you’re still experiencing food intolerance, it’s a good idea to work with a nutritionist to heal your gut and reduce your reactivity to foods, at any age.

What can we do?

So while allergy can certainly be a life-threatening condition, intolerance can be a very difficult road too. It’s harder to determine what foods are the cause, and it’s usually more than one. Symptoms can be just as horrible, and can recur all the time, over and over. And if not treated, can get worse and lead to some serious health complaints. But there is a way out.

1. Find out what you’re intolerant to and how much you can eat before you react – it may be none, but it may be that you can have it once a week without any trouble.
2. Heal your gut so it stops leaking part of your dinner into your blood, so you react less!
3. And look after yourself. If you’re sensitive to foods, you’re likely a sensitive soul, so be kind to yourself and eat as many healthy, whole foods as you can.

If you would like to chat more about your potential allergies and intolerances, make an appointment for a Nutrition Consult or FREE CHAT to find out how I can help.