The terms food allergy and food intolerance are often used interchangeably. Yet there is a clear difference. Food intolerance is less serious than a food allergy and really different. A food allergy can be very serious and have far-reaching consequences. What is the difference now?

What is food intolerance?

There are various food intolerances such as dairy intolerance, sugar intolerance or gluten intolerance. Let’s take a closer look at the most famous intolerance, lactose intolerance. Lactose (also called milk sugar) is digested by the enzyme lactase. Some people lack this enzyme completely or produce too little of it. This means that the lactose we ingest by eating dairy products and related products cannot be split. As a result, the lactose is not absorbed by our body. The lactose remains in our intestines and causes discomfort such as flatulence, abdominal pain and abdominal cramps.Much the same applies to fructose intolerance. Because there is also an enzyme disorder, the fruit sugars are not absorbed and cause fermentation complaints in the intestines. This causes flatulence, abdominal pain, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

What is food allergy?

Food allergy causes a wide range of complaints ranging from itching and hives to very serious complaints such as swelling and shortness of breath. These complaints can even be such that they can have a fatal outcome.About two percent of adults in the Netherlands have a food allergy. The best known and most common food allergies are peanut and shellfish allergies. In the Netherlands, the number of people with food allergies is increasing. Children are even more likely to suffer from food allergies. Fortunately, food allergies in children are often temporary. In food allergies, like all other allergies, hereditary predisposition plays a clear role.With an allergy, nothing seems to be wrong the first time the patient comes into contact with the nutrient. However, the body is already put on alert and the type E antibody is produced. This antibody binds to the mast cells in the body so that they can trigger their allergic reactions in the body the next time the nutrient is consumed. An allergy always involves an overactive immune system, where the immune system actively responds to harmless substances.

The life-threatening form of food allergy

Four thousand to six thousand people in the Netherlands suffer from the life-threatening form of food allergy. Eating peanuts, for example, causes serious symptoms. It often starts with swollen lips, followed by shortness of breath, tingling in the tongue, swelling in the throat and a drop in blood pressure.When someone is known to have a life-threatening form of food allergy, this person usually carries an autoinjector pen (Epipen). This is an injection pen filled with adrenaline. The injection is easy to give, even through clothing. The side with the needle must be placed on the thigh. The adrenaline in the injection pen causes widening of the airways and constriction of the blood vessels. This will make breathing easier and blood pressure will return to normal. The patient must then be transported to hospital as quickly as possible for additional treatment.So there is a big difference between food allergy and food intolerance. If you use these two concepts interchangeably, you run the risk of trivializing food allergies . This can have far-reaching consequences.