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Food Intolerance: What Are The Causes?
A Food intolerance is when you have a bad reaction to food or food additives. A food allergy is strong and there is an instant reaction to the food. With an allergy the body's immune system is directly involved.
Since not all reactions can be covered by the term food allergy, doctors use the term food intolerance to describe those unfavorable reactions that don't involve the immune response system. Allergy tests are used to detect allergens. Sometimes food intolerance is just the result of too much of the same thing over a long period.
Non-immune responses are also possible with some foods. You should be familiar with generic toxicity. This would be the body's reaction to known poisons such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. These poisons can occur naturally and show up in food when you least expect them to.
In some circumstances, it can create toxins in your food and increase risk for anyone who partakes.The danger can also be a hidden danger. One risk people do not account for is the lack of enzymes present in digestive tracts to consume particular foods.
You have probably heard of lactose intolerance. This is the technical term describing the condition people have when they cannot digest dairy products. They are missing an enzyme which is used to digest milk sugar, or lactose. Most people have no problem digesting dairy products because they have this enzyme.
There is a type of food intolerance that is not characterized by an allergic reaction, but is actually caused by naturally occurring compounds that can be present in food and which can have a detrimental effect on various body systems, such as the endocrine gland system. These reactions mimic allergic reactions and are easy to mistake as a food allergy.
The category of food additives includes many different types of chemicals. They can be used to preserve, flavor or color foods. Some you have probably heard of are tartrazine, Mono-sodium Glutamate, and sodium benzoate. When additives are involved in chemical reactions in the body it is not technically an allergic reaction, since it is not causing a response from the immune system.
When you have a bad reaction to food this falls under the category of food intolerance. If the reaction is an allergic one then the body's immune system is involved. An allergy test is used to determine what allergens might be causing the problem. There are other adverse reactions that are not related to the immune system. One common cause is toxicity. An adverse reaction can come from bacteria, lead, mercury, arsenic or other poisons. There are also the conditions which are caused by the lack of an enzyme to digest things like lactose. Having too much of one thing can result in fatique.
Published January 20th, 2009
Filed in Fitness