Food allergy and food sensitivity are often confused with the other. However, these two mean wholly different things. However, even though the meaning is different, they’re both caused by the body reacting to the food you’ve consumed or the proteins and chemicals in it.
The main difference between these two conditions is how the body responds. Additionally, most physical reactions to foods are caused by food intolerance compared to food allergies. But even though these conditions can be different, there is always an intertwining of symptoms. Food allergy and food intolerance cause some similar symptoms that make you confuse one for the other.
What is a food allergy?
Your immune system’s role is to fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the body. When you have a food allergy, your body identifies a protein in the food you’ve consumed and releases antibodies to fight this false invader. An allergic reaction results in the immune system reacting towards the food you’ve consumed.
The most common allergic reactions include immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactions. IgE are allergic antibodies. These antibodies cause an immediate reaction to the proteins in ingested food. Your immune system reacts by producing chemicals like histamine from mast cells, causing an immediate reaction.
Unlike food intolerance, food allergies can be fatal. A severe food allergy reaction can cause anaphylaxis, which needs urgent care, or else one can lose their life. In severe food allergies, even touching or inhaling the trigger food can result in an allergic reaction.
Anaphylaxis reactions can cause symptoms like difficulty breathing, dizziness, wheezing, and loss of consciousness. During an anaphylaxis attack, it’s necessary to use an EpiPen on yourself or the patient in question. After it has acted accordingly, it’s necessary to visit the hospital to stay under surveillance because these symptoms often recur a few hours after the initial reaction.
Food allergy symptoms include:
- Skin reactions like hives, itching, and swelling
- Digestive symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating, gas, and stomach ache
- Breathing problems
- Drop in blood pressure
- Swelling of the lips, eyes, and face
What is a food sensitivity?
Food sensitivity is a non-IgE-mediated reaction that occurs after you consume a specific food or group of foods. Food sensitivities, known as food intolerances, occur when your body cannot digest specific foods. Food sensitivities are more common compared to food allergies, therefore affecting a more significant part of the population.
However, most people with food sensitivities don’t get a diagnosis and tend to suffer from sensitivity symptoms for a very long time. Luckily, these days, one can easily use a Sensitivity Test to know which sensitivities they’re suffering from so they can fix their diet.
Food sensitivities trigger the digestive system, causing IBS-like symptoms. The symptoms often start between a few hours to three days to show up. Because these symptoms take longer to show up and affect the digestive tract, they disappear because your body needs to get rid of the undigested food.
Food sensitivity can result from the body lacking sufficient enzymes to break down specific foods. For example, when one has lactose intolerance, it’s because they lack sufficient lactase enzymes to break down lactose. However, some sensitivities arise from reactions to additives and preservatives. Additionally, chemicals like caffeine can cause sensitivities, and natural sugar in plants and vegetables can do the same.
Food sensitivity symptoms include:
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhoea
- Gas
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Joint pain
- Anxiety
Allergy vs food sensitivity difference
There are many ways to differentiate between an allergy and a food sensitivity. Knowing the difference helps you determine what you might be suffering from, and then it’s easier to order a specific test.
What it affects
Food intolerance affects your digestive tract. When you consume something you’re sensitive to, your small intestines don’t break it down and push it to the colon. Here, it draws in water, causing bloating, and it gets fermented by bacteria in your large intestines, releasing gas. This further causes more bloating, stomach pain, and gassiness.
Food allergy, on the other hand, triggers your immune system. Food allergy is IgE-mediated, which means that when you consume something you’re allergic to, it triggers your immune system to release histamine, among other chemicals, that fight that protein in your food as if it were an intruder. This causes body-wide symptoms.
Causes
Food sensitivities occur when your digestive system cannot break down the foods or chemicals you ingest. The reason for this can be due to biological issues in cases of caffeine sensitivity or a lack of sufficient enzymes to break down, like in the case of lactose intolerance and FODMAPs.
Food allergies, on the other hand, occur when your immune system mistakes ingredients or proteins in your food for a threat. Therefore, it releases antibodies known as Immunoglobin E (IgE) to fight these “harmful” substances. This, therefore, causes inflammation all over the body and allergy symptoms.
Symptoms
Food sensitivity symptoms often are digestive, and very few don’t involve the gastrointestinal tract. These include symptoms like headaches, joint pain, and anxiety. Otherwise, it’s common for you to suffer from cramps, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. These symptoms can last for a few days before they pass.
Food allergy symptoms affect the gastrointestinal tract and other body parts, like your skin. Besides that, an allergic reaction can be life-threatening. This isn’t the case with food sensitivity. You can get anaphylaxis, which is rare, but it can cause death if you don’t treat it and instead wait for it to pass.
During food sensitivity, symptoms can take up to three days to appear; food allergies cause immediate symptoms or ones that can take up to two hours to appear. Therefore, it’s easier to know you have a food allergy because of how short it takes for the symptoms to appear. However, since food sensitivity symptoms take a long to appear, it’s even hard to identify the trigger food.
Amount of trigger food
When you ingest a trigger food, and you have a food allergy, even a tiny amount of this item will cause you to have an allergic reaction. Your body will react to the littlest amount of trigger food the same way it would a huge amount.
However, when it comes to food sensitivity, the severity of the symptoms you get depends on the amount of food you consume and your tolerance level. The more the quantity of the trigger food you consume, the more severe your symptoms will be.
Final thoughts
Food allergy and food sensitivity have distinct features that separate them. Knowing the symptoms to look out for helps you determine what you may have, whether an allergy or sensitivity. A food allergy is more severe than a sensitivity. However, sensitivity is harder to figure out since it takes longer for the symptoms to appear. A Sensitivity Test can, however, help you figure out your food intolerance so that you can take charge of your diet and avoid the symptoms.
