Do you experience symptoms that you can’t understand like sluggishness, fatigue, headaches, sore joints and digestive disturbances?
Have you been to many doctors to find the underlying cause, but to no avail?
If you’re struggling with any of these symptoms and unexplained chronic health issues, you may be suffering from a hidden intolerance to one or multiple foods.
What is Food Intolerance?
Food intolerance, also known as food sensitivity, is a complicated health issue with a myriad of symptoms that can be difficult to identify. It occurs when the body cannot digest or recognize a food, or component in the food, and causes an abnormal physiological reaction.
Some of the common symptoms of food intolerance include:
- Digestive problems like abdominal pain, bloating, acid reflux, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
- Brain fog and poor concentration.
- Pain symptoms in the form of headaches, migraines, and joint pain.
- Skin issues such as rashes and acne.
- Respiratory difficulties like congestion, coughing, and excess mucus
Although there are limited studies on the prevalence of food intolerance, it is estimated that between 5-10% the population could suffer from this (1).
Food allergy and food intolerance are often confused, and the symptoms can overlap, but food intolerance does not have the same immune reaction as a food allergy. However, it may have a delayed immunological component in some people (2).
What Causes Food Intolerance?
The cause of food intolerances and the triggering foods can differ among sufferers, and there are several reasons they could occur.
One of the most common causes is the lack of an enzyme needed to completely digest the food. This can be seen in the case of intolerance to milk and dairy products, where the body lacks the enzyme lactase needed to digest a sugar known as lactose. In this case, the lactose remains undigested or partially digested in the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to uncomfortable and embarrassing digestive symptoms.
Many people experience sensitivity to food additives and preservatives that the body is unable to break down properly. This can also occur with intolerances to naturally occurring compounds found in foods like histamines.
If you’re struggling to identify the reason for your symptoms, another potential cause for hidden food sensitivity is related to intestinal permeability. It occurs when the gut lining is inflamed and damaged and there is difficulty digesting certain foods. This results in “Leaky Gut Syndrome” where undigested food particles migrate across the permeable gut barrier and into the bloodstream, causing a delayed immune response (3).
Why Food Intolerances Can Be Hard To Identify
Food intolerance is difficult to recognize and diagnose because the triggers and symptoms can be non-specific. In some cases, symptoms may take up to 48-72 hours to appear. They also frequently overlap with other health conditions like IBS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
All of these factors make it difficult for doctors to diagnose food intolerance and identify the offending foods.
Conclusion
It may be difficult to diagnose food intolerance, but there is no doubt that this condition is very real and difficult for sufferers. People who suspect that they have food intolerances have to take control of their own health, learn to listen to their bodies and be their own detective.
1. https://foodconnections.org/2014/02/25/food-intolerance-prevalence/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24185686
3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451