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Food intolerance: It’s getting more common
Dr. Zulfikar Bux
By Dr Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
A food intolerance is difficulty digesting certain foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them. It causes symptoms, such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain and usually occurs a few hours after eating the food. There are numerous reasons why our body cannot tolerate certain foods. It may be that our body wasn’t designed to tolerate a particular kind of food or it could be due to the “modernisation” of food making. Our foods are being exposed to more chemicals and antibiotics and are processed more often. Our bodies were not designed to deal with these chemicals and when it cannot tolerate them, these symptoms begin to appear. The number of people who believe they have a food intolerance has risen dramatically over recent years, but it’s hard to know how many people are truly affected. Today, we will discuss food intolerance so that you can be more equipped to deal with this discomforting condition.
What are the symptoms of food intolerance?
In general, people who have a food intolerance tend to experience:
• abdominal pain
• bloating
• wind and/or diarrhoea
• skin rashes and itching
These symptoms usually happen a few hours after eating the food. It can be difficult to know whether you have a food intolerance as these are general symptoms that are typical of many other conditions.
Is there a food intolerance test?
A number of companies produce food intolerance tests, but these tests are not based on scientific evidence. The best way of diagnosing a food intolerance is to monitor your symptoms and the foods you eat. See what happens when you cut out the suspected food for a while, and then reintroduce it into your diet. Try keeping a food diary and note what foods you eat, any symptoms you have after eating these foods and when these symptoms happen. Once you have an idea of which foods may be causing your symptoms, you can try excluding them from your diet one at a time and observing the effect this has.
Are there medical conditions that can mimic food intolerance?
If you regularly have diarrhoea, bloating, tummy pain or skin rashes but you’re not certain of the cause, see a doctor. These may be signs of an underlying medical condition that can be harmful to you if left untreated.
The following medical conditions can lead to food intolerance:
• irritable bowel syndrome
• stress and anxiety disorder
• lactose intolerance
• coeliac disease
• inflammatory bowel disease
• food allergy
How would I know if it’s a food intolerance and not a food allergy?
A food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Here’s how to tell the difference.
A food allergy
This is when your immune system mistakenly treats proteins found in food as a threat. This will trigger allergy symptoms, such as a rash, wheezing and itching, after eating just a small amount of the food. It is usually rapid in onset and can be life threatening if left untreated. Common food allergies include milk, eggs, fish, peanuts and other nuts.
A food intolerance
This does not involve your immune system, there is no allergic reaction, and it is never life-threatening. It causes symptoms that happen gradually, often a few hours after eating the food and only results in symptoms if you eat a substantial amount of the food.
What causes a food intolerance?
With so many chemicals in foods, it is often unclear why a person is sensitive to certain foods. If your symptoms happen after eating dairy products, it’s possible you may have lactose intolerance. This means your body cannot digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk, yoghurt and soft cheese. Some people have trouble digesting wheat and experience bloating, wind, diarrhoea, being sick and stomach pain after eating bread. Otherwise, the culprit may be a food additive, chemical or contaminant, such as:
• monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• caffeine
• onions
• gluten
• alcohol
• artificial sweeteners
• histamine often found in mushrooms, pickled and cured foods, and alcoholic drinks
• toxins, viruses, bacteria or parasites that have contaminated food
• artificial food colours, preservatives or flavour enhancers
If you’re confident you are intolerant to a particular food, the only way to manage this is to stop eating the food for a while and then reintroduce small quantities while monitoring how much you can eat without causing symptoms. Eating more natural and less processed foods will also help you tolerate them better.
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