Food Allergy? or Food Intolerance?

A food allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system. When a person is sensitive to a food, such as peanuts, the immune system overreacts when the person comes in contact with that food.

True food allergies are quite rare, affecting only about 1 % of adults and about 5% of children.

Food Allergy or Food Intolerance?

Many people think they have a food allergy, but what they really have is a food intolerance, which is a problem in the digestive tract and does not involve the immune system.

In someone with a food intolerance, either the food irritates the digestive tract or the body is unable to digest that food properly.

While the symptoms of food allergies and food intolerances are often similar, there are important differences between them as well.

Eating even a tiny amount of a food can trigger an allergic reaction, and the reaction will happen every time the person eats that food.

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