Many people mistakenly tend to confuse allergies with food intolerances: the concepts, however, are very different, despite the fact that the related symptoms are, in some ways, overlapping.
In this article we will try to shed light on the meaning of "allergy" and "intolerance", analyzing the causes that trigger them, the underlying mechanism, the symptoms and possible remedies.
Food allergy
Food intolerance
For intolerance, however, the concept is different: the immune system is not involved, consequently an immune response is not triggered.
The etymology of the term "intolerance" already indicates the "inability to endure, to tolerate: following an" abundant intake of a certain food, the "organism" rebels "because it cannot digest it properly. This is the reason why intolerance is a toxic reaction of the organism, unlike allergy (non-toxic reaction) which does not depend on the dose taken.
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Food allergies or intolerance?
To simplify the concepts, an example is given: the immune system of a person allergic to strawberries reacts in an exaggerated way even if the person eats only one fruit, which means that even a single strawberry is perceived as a "foreign and potentially dangerous element" for the body, which is defended by causing a first alarm bell (itching and irritation in the skin). If, on the other hand, a person is intolerant to strawberries and takes a very small amount (one or two strawberries), there will be no skin reaction. However, when the subject eats an abundant dose of these fruits, the food can no longer be digested: consequently there will be effects on the skin.
Still other factors can be highlighted that distinguish allergies and intolerances: allergies are classified according to the antibodies involved in the reaction (IgE-mediated and IgE-non-mediated), while intolerances, not involving the antibody system, are divided into "enzymatic" and "pharmacological".
By "enzymatic" we "mean an" intolerance determined by the lack, or deficiency, of an enzyme involved in digestion: the enzyme is unable to digest food. This is the case, for example, of lactose intolerance, the characteristic sugar of milk, due to the lack of lactase, the enzyme responsible for digesting lactose.
By "pharmacological" s "means an" intolerance in which the subject is sensitive to certain substances found in "food. This is the case, for example, of foods rich in tyramine and their effects in subjects hypersensitive to this substance."
The only factor that unites allergies to intolerances, even if only in part, is the symptoms: in fact, the effects that occur after an allergic reaction or a "food intolerance are common: abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, bloating at the stomach, itching and redness of the skin are the symptoms found in both problems. Certainly, however, the symptoms that manifest themselves in an "allergy can be greater than the same ones that occur in an" intolerance: allergic manifestations can in fact also lead to respiratory and cardiorespiratory problems, up to the most severe form of shock. anaphylactic which, if not taken immediately with specific drugs, can cause coma and even death.
It is good to remember that sometimes forms of food intolerance can occur that can be confused with an "allergy, because they are characterized by elements that are found in both disorders: for this reason, we speak of" pseudo-allergies ". particular problems, included in the category of pharmacological intolerances, are intolerances defined as a sort of allergy due to the production of histamine following the ingestion of a food. For example, shellfish, chocolate, tomatoes, canned fish are all foods defined as "histamine-releasing substances".
Regarding the remedies that can be adopted to avoid allergies and intolerances, if that particular food is completely eliminated from the diet of an allergic subject, it will no longer have any type of manifestation (exclusion diet). On the other hand, if a person is intolerant, he can still continue to take that given food, but in small doses; at times total abstention is suggested for short periods, in order to recreate the enzymatic patrimony necessary for the digestion of the food.
Summary table
ALLERGY
INTOLERANCE
Non-toxic, exaggerated and violent reaction
Toxic reaction
Involvement of the antibody system
It does not foresee an immune response
Independent dose
Dependent dose
Classification: IgE-mediated and IgE-non-mediated allergies.
Classification: enzymatic and pharmacological intolerances
Cause: the immune system produces antibodies against food proteins, a potential danger for the body.
Cause: the enzyme deficiency prevents the digestion of the food.
Symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, stomach swelling, itching and redness of the skin, difficulty breathing, cardiorespiratory, anaphylactic shock.
Symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, stomach swelling, itching and redness of the skin.
Remedy: total elimination of the food from the diet.
Remedy: intake of food in small quantities.
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