Overview
Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free…specialized diets are everywhere you look. But not everyone with special dietary needs has the same reaction to their offending foods. What’s the difference between being allergic to a food and being sensitive or intolerant to it?
The key difference between a food allergy and sensitivity is the body’s response. When you have an allergy, your immune system gets involved. If you have a sensitivity or intolerance, the reaction is largely triggered in the digestive system.
Food Sensitivities
Food sensitivities and intolerances are far more common than food allergies, according to the British Allergy Foundation. Neither involves the immune system. Either a food triggers an intolerance in your digestive tract, where your body is unable to properly break it down, or the body reacts to a food you are sensitive to. For example, milk intolerance is where your body is unable to break down lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Or if you are sensitive to histamines, you may get headaches after you eat foods that contain histamines.
You may be sensitive or intolerant to a food for a variety of reasons, including:
not having the right enzymes you need to digest a certain food
reactions to food additives like sulfites or artificial colors
psychological factors, like an extreme dislike of certain foods
pharmacological factors, like sensitivity to caffeine or other chemicals
sensitivity to the toxins naturally found in certain raw legumes like lima beans
The symptoms of intolerance are all digestive-related and can include: gas and bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, or nausea. Symptoms of food sensitivity vary.
Food Allergies
Your immune system is your body’s defense against invaders — whether bacteria or the common cold virus. You have a food allergy when your immune system identifies a protein in what you eat as an invader. It reacts by producing antibodies to fight it.
“A food allergy is an immune-mediated reaction to the food,” explains Farzan. “The most common type of food allergy is an Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reaction. IgEs are allergic antibodies which cause an immediate reaction due to release of chemicals, such as histamine, from mast cells.”
Unlike a food intolerance or sensitivity, food allergies can be fatal. In extreme cases, ingesting or even touching a small amount of the allergen can produce an intense reaction.
Symptoms of food allergy include:
skin reactions, like hives, swelling, and itching
anaphylaxis, including difficulty breathing, wheezing, dizziness, and, ultimately, death
digestive symptoms
The Difference in Symptoms
Symptoms of food intolerance include gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and nausea.
Symptoms of food allergy include hives, swelling, itching, anaphylaxis, and dizziness.
Source: http://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/food-allergy-sensitivity-difference#FoodAllergies3
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