Know the difference - Food allergies ,Food Sensitivity and Food intolerance

 Unravelling Difference between Food allergy ,Food sensitivity and Food Intolerance

You would have heard from people, at some point in time talking about allergies? Well, for most, it’s about using common terms’ allergy’, if any food component isn’t going well down the throat.
There is a spot-on differentiating criterion, to confirm whether a person is allergic, intolerant, or sensitive to specific food. All three are different from each other, hence cannot be used interchangeably.
In this blog, we are going to understand basic, yet vital differences between them.

How are they different?

Firstly, in a tabular format let us understand fundamental differences between them.

Food Allergy	Food Sensitivity	Food intolerance
Food allergy is a reaction caused by food which can affect body organs, causing a range of symptoms from mild to life threatening conditions like anaphylaxis- a serious allergic reaction. It is seen in rare cases as low as 2% cases worldwide. They manifest symptoms urticaria (skin allergy), abdominal cramps and may be internal bleeding.	Food sensitivity is the mildest reaction of something which is between food allergy and food intolerance. It might or might not pose any symptoms depending upon the composition and the percentage of specific irritants in the food. Symptoms, if any, usually disappear after a few hours and are usually not alarming.	Food intolerance is seen as much as 45% of the population worldwide. Food intolerance is mediated through immunoglobulin G(IgG), triggering immune cells to react to allergens or specific components in the food. The symptoms of food intolerance usually disappear within 24-72 hours and mostly, are not lethal.

Since we are aware of difference in terminologies, let us get through the symptoms and examples of each: -

Food Allergy: - Nausea, abdominal cramping, vomiting and anaphylaxis.

Food sensitivity: -Skin rash, bloating, sore throat, abdominal discomfort.

Food intolerance: - Vomiting, nausea, cramping, diarrhea, abdominal cramping.

The box below states examples for each, for better understanding 

Food Allergy	Food sensitivity	Food intolerance
Honey, eggs, peanuts	Caffeine sensitivity	Gluten and lactose intolerance

Diagnostic Tests: -

Depending upon case, it is always better to take food sensitivity test and protein microarray, which has list of potential foods, which might lead to food allergy, sensitivity, or intolerance.

Other tests, which can be evaluated are Immunoglobulin G (IgG), C reactive protein (CRP) and other inflammatory markers.

Dietary Considerations: - 

In most cases, elimination and re-introduction or rotational food module helps in management of reaction caused. Combination of restrictive or trigger foods along with anti-inflammatory foods help in 

Inflammation in the blood indicates infection. Food triggered reaction is associated with inflammatory effect of body cells and immunity. 

Several infections, chronic illnesses and allergic reactions are associated with inflammation.

In such cases, anti-inflammatory diets along with food trigger list can help in management of food reaction.

Anti-inflammatory foods reduce inflammatory responses in the body, helping to fight off food reactions. Let us check on examples of anti-inflammatory foods which can be incorporated in daily diet: -

Food Groups	Examples
Fruits	Cherries, apples, banana, plums, pomegranate, grapes.
Vegetables	Spinach, Okra, pumpkin, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower
Cereals	Quinoa, Brown rice, Oats, Multigrain flour
Dairy	Sugar free, unflavored Yogurts
Nuts and seeds	Soaked almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds
Beans	Rajma, soya, beans
Spices and condiment	Turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, cloves, ginger, lemon
Water	Zero calorie Water or fluids, veg stalks or veg broths.

P.S: - This table is for better understanding, the above list along with food reaction list helps in risk free management of infection.

There are standard rules which are to be followed, while managing food allergy, sensitivity, or intolerance.

1. Get the required tests and prognosis to confirm the core issue.

2. Tests as suggested by physician and a structured dietary change, as suggested by a nutrition expert.

3. Having on hands on list of foods, which do not cause any trouble. Include them, in your daily diet.

4. Prime focus should be on foods which you can eat and not on what you cannot.

5. Even if food intolerance stands negative for a particular food, you should still curtail consuming it directly.

6. Checking food labels before purchasing any food, will educate you whether the specific product has any reactive component or not.

7. In most cases, the symptoms get better within 1-3 months after discontinuing consumption of reactive food.

8. If the tests results show elevated levels of Ig G, pertaining to specific food, self-monitoring for diet and symptoms should be assessed.

9. Once you have the list of reactive and non-reactive food, reintroducing reactive food after 2-3 months can be done. If the symptoms persist, cease its consumption for next 1-2 months.

10. These should be followed strictly under dietitians’ vigilance.

Bottom line

Learning how specific foods influence the inflammatory process is the best strategy for containing it and reducing long term risk related to food allergies, sensitivity, and intolerance.

References: - 

For image :- https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/excoriations-on-skin-due-scratches-severe-1658002456

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/set-various-allergen-icons-vector-nine-750511735

Reference for content 

1. Manual of Nutritional Therapeutics ,5th Edition, David H Alpers

2. The food intolerance bible, Antony J Haynes

3. https://www.mayoclinic.org