There are lots of people who are talk to me about their food allergies and intolerances, and a lot of people kind of get confused and think that all food reactions are allergies, when in fact, many reactions are intolerances and NOT food allergies. So how do you distinguish between them both? How do you know if you are actually allergic to something, or can't tolerate a food? A food allergy is one type of adverse food reaction that is mediated by the immune system. An adverse food reaction may comprise any symptom following the intake of a food. Symptoms may be any perceptible change in how we feel and/or function. A symptom may present, for example, as a rash, achy joints, or fatigue.
Lactose is the primary sugar found in milk, and is a disaccharide (a double sugar molecule) comprising one molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose. With age, many children loose their ability to digest the large amounts of lactose found in cow’s milk, leading to condition called lactose intolerance. This ‘milk sugar’ lurks around the bowel, escaping digestion and causing much digestive upset. Although this condition is not much of a concern in itself, it may well lead to intolerance towards milk, an important food for many. The action of lactase (the enzyme which breaks lactose down in the small intestine) occurs at a maximum level from birth through early childhood. Let's take a good look here, you may be surprised and the many factors underpinning this terrible condition.
I have heard many patients over the years tell me that they are gluten or lactose intolerant when in fact they have other underlying digestive complaints like parasites, poor intestinal bacteria, candida yeast infections or a host of other problems. True gluten or lactose intolerance is more rare than you think. Do you know the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance? Read on for more information
