Food allergy or food intolerance...?

Food Intolerance and Allergy

R Food allergy is mediated by an immune reaction against food proteins, whereas food intolerances can be caused by any food constituent and do not involve immunological mechanisms R The treatment of food allergies involves strict avoidance of the offending food antigen, either by use of a hypoallergenic infant formula or a specific elimination diet. By contrast, in patients with food intoleranc...

Food allergy and intolerance.

Adverse reactions to foods and food additives are common problems. True food allergy involving an immunological mechanism is less common; these allergies affect approximately 10% of the United States population. Most food allergies are immunoglobulin E-mediated; systemic anaphylaxis is the most serious complication. Diagnosis is based on history and physical examination. In vivo diagnostic stud...

Food Allergy and Intolerance Testing

Blood tests A specific IgE test, formally known as Radio Allergo Sorbent Test (RAST) is carried out by measuring the amount of IgE antibodies to a suspect food in the blood. The results are interpreted with a detailed clinical history to give a diagnosis of IgE mediated food allergy. This blood test can be organised by your GP or hospital clinician. There are commercial companies who offer a si...

Blood testing for sensitivity, allergy or intolerance to food.

Food Allergy and Food Intolerance: specific versus innate immunity

Contemporary physicians recognize a distinction between immediate and delayed-type altered reactions in their nomenclature by applying the terms, “intolerance” or “sensitivity” in the case of common reactions to foods and other chemicals, where symptom onset is delayed and typically of a less acute nature than that which has come to be known as a “true” allergy, classical allergy, or Type I hyp...