You may have noticed in recent years
that more and more people are allergic or intolerant to various foods.
Food allergy, food intolerance and also coeliac disease
can affect people of any age.
In each case, normal healthy foods can cause
symptoms in people who have these conditions.
There are distinct differences between these
conditions that you should be aware of.
You immune system normally protects you
from disease causing bacteria, parasites and viruses
as well as harmful toxins that you encounter in your environment.
However if you have a food allergy your immune system sees a food as being just
another environmental threat to your health.
Coeliac disease also involves the body's immune system
but this time it attacks the lining of your gut.
This happens in a response to eating gluten
which is a mixture of proteins found in foods made from cereals
such as wheat, rye and barley.
Food intoleances don't involve the immune system.
They can be due to an inability to digest food properly
or maybe even a tendency to react to certain food components.
For instance if you have lactose intolerance,
this is because you have a deficiency in the enzyme lactase that helps you digest milk and dairy products.
Or maybe you get headaches after eating strongly flavoured cheese?
If so, you may be reacting to a chemical called tyramine.
However, for a great many food intolerances we just don’t know what causes them or why
some people react to certain foods.
Absolutely not!
When somebody gets food poisoning, they have probably eaten food that was contaminated
with harmful bacteria or maybe even toxic chemicals.
However, if you are allergic or intolerant to a food, it doesn’t matter how hygienic,
nutritious, delicious or desirable that food is, it has the potential to cause symptoms
if you eat it.
Everybody else can eat the food and it is
probably a very healthy choice for them to do so.
But the person who is allergic or intolerant has to avoid it.
It is important to be able to recognise the signs and symptoms of food allergy, food intolerance or coeliac disease.
These can range from mild to severe
depending on how sensitive the person is.
A food intolerance can cause similar signs
and symptoms as a mild food allergy, and people often confuse the two.
For the most part, these are associated with digestion and include nausea, constipation,
stomach pain, diarrhoea, and so on.
Other symptoms of a mild food allergy can
include hay fever-like symptoms and skin symptoms such as eczema, dermatitis, or hives.
A severe food allergic reaction includes many of these symptoms plus a fall in blood pressure,
swelling in the throat and mouth, severe hoarseness or wheezing, or a persistent cough.
The person may have a pale colour and experience dizziness or even collapse.
They may appear panicked and distressed. If this happens, the person is said to be
experiencing “anaphylaxis.” This can be fatal and the person must receive
medical attention immediately.
Thankfully fatal allergic reactions to food are very rare.
The symptoms of coeliac disease include digestive upset
and it can take a very long time for the person to fully recover.
Over the longer term
We know that coeliac disease can be associated with anaemia and osteoporosis
As well as certain types on intestinal cancer
if they're diet is not controlled properly
On the island of Ireland the most common food allergy is to egg.
Other significant allergenic foods are peanut, nuts, milk and sesame.
Throughout the European Union, fourteen foods are recognised as being the most significant
for food allergies and intolerances.
Coeliacs, and people with other gluten-related
disorders, must avoid eating food products made from cereals that contain gluten
such as wheat, rye, barley and oats that are not certified as being gluten-free.
Lactose-containing foods such as milk and dairy products are problematic for those with
an intolerance to lactose, although many can tolerate some lactose in their diet.
We think the rate of food allergy is 1-2% of adults and 5-8% of children.
Coeliac disease affects around 1% of the population and lactose intolerance affects around 5%.
But for the other food intolerances, well
it’s anybody’s guess. The estimates vary wildly with some authorities
saying it may be as high as 40-45% of the population!
However, it we take a conservative estimate for food allergy, food intolerance and coeliac
disease at roughly 10% of the population, this still corresponds to around 600,000 people
on the island of Ireland which is a LOT of people.
Self-diagnosis is certainly not advised: you may end up cutting out foods that cause you
no harm at all.
Your first port of call should be your GP who
can arrange for a blood test to check for allergy or coeliac disease and can refer you
on to a specialist.
You may be referred to a dietitian as well,
particularly if you have a suspect food intolerance.
If you require more information, a good place to start,
is safefood.eu